Resurgence
by The Crystal Brick
Summary: After the defeat of Tabuu, the "Super Smash Brothers" formed their own society and lived in prosperity for years. However, when a new evil arises to corrupt and takeover the land, the fighters will have to band together and give everything they got, to fight for a better tomorrow.
1. Chapter 1: A Rude Awakeing

**Hello there, I'm Crystal Brick. This is my first story, I plan to take good care into this and not rush it out. Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening**

In a large open room, darkness covers everything in sight, like filthy water griming itself on a once beautiful aquarium, the fish who left this world a long time ago. This place of rotten decay only saving grace is the small beams of sunlight, piercing the ugly black like a hot knife through butter. Some say the sun is a symbol of Rebirth and hope, the start of a brand new day, both literally and metaphorically. The previously mentioned sunlight was shining around parts of the floor, but all that was uncovered was ruined pillars, cracked floors, and tattered robes.

If there was any hope before, it was long gone by now. This shouldn't be right, the light is supposed to shine brightly and heavenly upon this new aspiration but instead there is…nothing. Was the light mistaken, perhaps this so called hope didn't exist in the first place. Maybe the sun: The righteous star that radiates with comforting warmth to help those in need, is just big ball of plasma. The hope is dead. What was once thriving in glee, is now just dead and gone. Just like the fish.

 _Or is it?_

In the middle of the large room, where a large spotlight of pure sun was beaming down, a brown gloved hand was lying flat down on the cold brick. The arm began to move, stretching before a man rolled out of the darkness into the spotlight, still sleeping on his back soundly. The sunlight. Harbinger of day, was beginning to wake the sleeping beauty.

With the fluttering of eyelids, the man was assaulted by hazy daylight. Like anyone else who just woken up, he shielded his eyes from the overwhelming white. He looked away from above and took a few seconds to let his pupils adjust to the dead black. After the man's eyeballs were well tuned to his surroundings, he realized that he wasn't in his small resort hotel room; nice furnishing and a window with a nice view of the beach but instead, an enormous stone throne room which appeared to be broken down by age and corrosion.

Naturally, he became anxious about his surroundings. How did he get here? Why was he here? What was 'here'? The man got up to onto his feet as fast as his tired body would allow. He was looking frantically for an exit. If he can get out of this ruin of abandoned royalty, he can get help and try to find a way home…

Wait, what was home? Where did he live? Is his home still standing? Why is he even thinking about where he lived? He has countless memories of ping pong, walking on the beach, and elegant room service. Why can't he remember is own home? Is there anything else he had forgotten? Let's see, Hobbies? Nothing. Friends and Family? Empty. Name?... you got to be kidding me, he's forgotten his own name?! That's impossible.

A person's name is the most sacred part of their identity. He has heard that even amnesiacs remember their own name, how is this happening? The man realizing his situation, slowly backed up. He only took a few steps backwards until his foot hit something metallic.

The man's head turned swiftly, expecting danger, only to find a sword with a shiny steel blade attached to a curved golden hilt. This sword, is the only thing in this place that is still in its prime, still full of life. Our 'hope' for some reason felt a connection with the sword despite being the first time he ever laid eyes on it. Feeling tempted, the man picked up the sword, grabbing it firmly on its golden handle. Just by holding the sword in his gloved hand, he felt revitalized and calm. If he lost the sword, he be lost.

Whiles admiring the sword, the man noticed a small puddle of water, right on the edge the solar spotlight. This sword was near the puddle, perhaps there is an object of importance underneath the body of water. The sword wielder walked towards the puddle to see what he could find, but all he saw was a reflection. His reflection

On the image displayed on still water, he could see: blond hair with a tinge of dirty brown, gloves and boots the color of chocolate, a blue shirt underneath a chestnut strap-wrapped around his right shoulder and left hip, as well as blue iris to brings out the soul in his eyes, and lastly black pants sporting a belt with something yellow inscribed on it.

So this is what he looked like, well, he'd look quite handsome for a man who just woken up and has no idea of who and where he is. There was nothing wrong with him he could visibly see, and certainly nothing of importance of his apparel… Well actually.

Upon closer inspection of the belt, he could see that this 'belt' wasn't a belt at all, it's was a scabbard. A sword holster? If this was his to begin with, then it's possible that… The man sheathed the sword into the scabbard, perfect fit. This must be his sword, it explains why he felted linked to this weapon. Why is this sword so important that he remembered it over his own name?

There's also a word written on the buckle: _Mii_? What kind of word was that? Who in the world spells 'me' with two I's? Mii. Was that his name? Hopefully not, that's bullying material right there. The name of the sword perhaps? No that sounds stupid. A name of a group? Maybe the man is part of organization of sorts, an army. That's one of the possibilities why he has a sword in the first place, why he felt attached to it.

If he's part of an army, where are his fellow soldiers? Have they forgotten about him? Or maybe they're still around? "Hello!" the man cried "Is any one there? I need help!" No one responded but the silence of the dark. "If you're hiding, please reveal yourself! I'm promise I won't hurt you!"

The man heard two quiet thuds near his left foot. Looking down he saw two small bits of stone on the ground, accompanied by a cloud of white dust that floated down slowly onto the bricked floor. Our hero curious, he looked up to make an unsettling discovery.

Holes of concentrated sun, parasitic cracks, and sickly moss coated the celling like a mural. Despite being made of granite (the hardest stone known to man) it looks like it's falling apart at the seams. Could possibly collapse at any moment.

 _ **Best not to stay here for long.**_

Now focused in finding an exit more than ever, the man was busy searching the entire room, hoping to find anything that will grant him the freedom to leave this faded place of history. However, the room, being smother with ugly black, made it almost impossible to conduct a proper searching. The only thing he can see clearly, is a thin vertical line of blinding light, just on the wall across of him.

He walked slowly towards the door, hoping not to awaken the potential doom from above. When the man reached the wall, he saw there was two conjoining doors, made of gold. _Funny that the only thing redeeming of this place is the exit._ He pushed all his might onto the golden doors to open them. It's not budging. Try hitting it? It's worth a shot. He took a step back, putting all of his strength into his shoulders and ramming the golden exit. He manage the open up a little bit, more sunlight flooding in the room than before.

Okay, this is fine, just ram into it a couple of more times and it'll open up. This is going to be easy as-

*SLAM*

He look backed and saw a giant slab of rock, crashed into the floor like a meteor. Looking up, the man saw that celling is losing strength, the cracks spreading, causing more chunks of granite to rain from above.

 _ **Need to act quickly.**_

He frantically hits the doors with his shoulders, Sweat dripping down his face from panic, praying he opens them in time.

 _Half of the room was covered in debris, and more is coming down._

 _Again!_ He hits the doors a second time and doors are almost wide open. One More push and he's free.

 _The rocks of death are getting close._

 _One More time!_ He walks back a couple of steps before ramming into the doors like an angry bull, prime on his target. The man's strength combined with pure determination busted them wide open. Like the doorway, his destiny has opened. He will encounter many hardships and trials, but if he is willing to give effort and have strong determination, there is not a thing in the world he cannot achieve.

 _His adventure awaits._

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 **Author's note:**

 **This is the first chapter, I hoped you liked it. I'm in college, so I'm going to update at random. If you have any questions write it in the reviews or PM me. Till next time.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Lady In Orange

**Chapter 2: The Lady in Orange**

The man nosedived to the ground, the spot he was standing on seconds before was piled on by a plethora of rocks, blocking the entire entryway. Not going there anytime soon.

Our hero in blue, still under the effects of an adrenaline rush, was holding onto the stone steps with panted breaths, fearing if he'd ever let go, death would take him at last. After sometime, the fast-paced breathing began to slow, inviting a new founded calmness in him. The man opened his eyes to observe where he was.

Colorful stands filled with dirty clothes, wooden toys, and faded paintings left abandoned. Small houses; walls constructed from stone and roofs woven from straw, overtaken by the vines of Mother Nature, claiming her rightful place. A long path of dirt; narrowed by a concrete sidewalk, the marks of boots and horse shoes littering the road like trash; The previous residents still leaving their mark after they were gone. Lastly a white water fountain stands in the center, water not haven been flowed from the spout in some time. If the man didn't know any better, he would've guessed that this is the town square. _Or at least what's left of it._

The man stood up on his feet, dusting the blue shirt of the dust from the previous dive. He saw two ways that the dirt track could take him: One leading to the left, the other to the right. The sword wielder walked forwards, not stopping until he was in the middle of the dirt road.

Now was a turning point, literally. The man needed to choose which path to take. Either direction could possibly lead him to civilization, but can easily make him more lost than he already was. The left side had large damaged structures that were in the distance, leading him further into the town. Over on the right, there were pink flowers and tall green grass, with some rabbits munching on some berries. There was nothing noteworthy except a floating castle in the sky, but that's about it. He could check town square, but it might a waste of time, not to mention-

 _Wait._ _ **FLOATING CASTILE IN THE SKY!?**_

The hero thought his eyes betrayed him, but there it was, a castle of what it appears to be made of glass is standing upon a small black landmass, hovering far away in the sky, like a remote island standing adrift in the middle of a barren ocean, with the clouds, keeping the lonely fortress company.

Forget the left path, flying castles in the sky will beat desolate buildings any day of the week. The man ran towards the right, in hopes to get a closer look at this interesting spectacle. Our hero was spiriting over a small hill before stopping in his tracks, his boots, inches away from a cliff. "Woah!" the sword wielder said, being surprised that road ends here. Looking down, no land was visible except a handful of floating boulders, only the abyss of light blue sky, seemingly stretching forever.

What is this place?! Was this even real? It can't be, this defies the laws of physics. This must be a dream, but it feels all too real. What is happening?

The man's breathing began to quicken again, feeling distress from the situation at hand, his eyes darting to the island and the empty chasm repeatedly.

 **No.** Stay calm, nothing would come from panicking. Just breathe, and focus on what's important at hand. He was beginning to relax, kicking fear and shock from the driver seat, letting calmness and logic at the wheel instead.

Alright, the man can still see the floating landmass, while it does seem to be an object of importance, there is no way to reach the flying fortress, so all that leaves is the left path. He gives the glass castle one more glance, sighing before walking back on the dirt road.

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Unlike the island, these destroyed towers were able to be reached to, wasn't much of an accomplishment however, these buildings were more ruined than the small houses in town square. Each structure had at least a huge chunk of it missing, some missing entire floors-their tops being exposed to the fresh air.

Up on ahead, the man saw a large Rectangular archway, it seemed to be constructed from something brown and shiny (most likely copper), there was also a thick metal gate connected under the arch, rust covering the entirety of the bars from years of corrosion and underuse.

He walked at a faster pace until he was in front of the giant archway. The sword wielder tried to crouch down and lift the metal gate, hoping to raise it up with raw strength alone, granting him a passage out of here. The fighter attempted to heave the rusted bars over his head, but despite his best efforts it wouldn't budge.

Giving up, our hero stood up, tried to look through the railing, scanning anything of importance on the other side, connected to the archway was a long wide copper bridge extending for at least a mile, at the end of this bridge was another large landmass, similar to the one he's on right now.

The most interesting part though, was a lady in orange slumped against the wall, inside the left corner of the gate. "There is someone here!" The man said to himself, surprised that he wasn't the only sign of life around here. The women in question had brown hair that draped over her shoulders, wore a bright orange shirt whiles also sporting black boots and gloves-certain parts of it glowed with a cyan hue. There was also a strange device on her right arm, its design was cylinder in nature; with an opening on top of the gadget.

The most eye-catching feature about her, was the familiar _black strap_ wrapped around her waist. There was a word written on the buckle.

 **Mii.**

The man grabs his own sash, examining it. _These two belts are exactly alike._ This couldn't be a coincidence, she must be related to him somehow, perhaps a fellow solider? Or maybe even a family member?

That thought will have to wait later, she needs help. "Miss are you alright?" The man said to the girl, who is still sleeping soundly. "Miss, please wake up!" he shouted "I need to talk to you!" No matter how loud he yelled, she wouldn't wake up.

The hero need to get to her, there must be something around here that might help. The sword wielder looked around the arch, and over on the right abutment, there was silvery circle with a small hole in the middle. Our hero in blue examined the circle, and saw a trail of scratched beneath the circle. Looking down, he saw a tiny trench sprinkled with silver dust, was leading to the right side of the foundation. _Something was dragged through here._

The man followed the trail, unsheathing his sword in hand just in case. He found and old wooden shack right up against the pillar, a clear contrast from the marvelous copper giant. The silver trail went into the cabin, with no other lead the sword fighter approached the hut and cautiously open the door, preparing to attack just in case.

The room was grey and quite plain, there was only a few items in the room: a grimy stove, a stained bed, and medium bookcase, the books covered with dust and cob webs.

The trail ends here, whatever he's looking for has got to be around here something. Whatever _'it'_ was. The man checked inside the stove, but only saw was more grime. He then walked over to the bed, lifting up the mattress. However, all he found were a couple of coins and some lint. That only leaves the bookcase, the fighter advanced towards the grave of books, please let there be something here….. **Bingo!**

Hidden behind the books on the lower shelf, he saw something shiny, and what appears to be made of _silver._ Our hero in blue tore the tomes that were blocking his prize from their resting place. What was hidden behind the novels, volumes, and story books, lied a _bright silver valve handle_.

It appears that he'd found what he was looking for, the man put the sword back in the scabbard and grabbed the handle with both hands, now he can get to the girl. The fighter was about to leave when his eyes saw a small drawing, which was previous covered by the silver valve, it seemed to be painstakingly sketched in the ancient wood. There was a picture of an equilateral triangle, with a symbol on each corner: A gun on the bottom-left, a sword on the bottom-right, and a clenched fist on the top.

Underneath the diagram was an outline of a hand, traced with white chalk. On the palm, something large was written upon it, the handwriting was messy and uneven. Whoever wrote this was either in a hurry, or a terribly bad writer. It was barely legible, but he able to read the entire message, what was scribbled on the wood was:

 ** _DO NOT LET THE WHITE BEAST GET HIS FINGERS ON 'THE TRIO OF MANY FACES' FOR IF HE SHALL, HIS CRYSTALLIZED RAGE AND TEARS WILL OVERTAKE THE LAND. INVITING A DARKNESS THAT WILL CORRUPT THE WORLD FOREVER -FW_**

What did this mean? Who is this 'white beast'? What is 'The Three of Many Faces'? Never mind, there are much more important things to do right now, like saving that girl. He grabbed onto the handle and walked towards the exit, sparing one last glimpse at the bookcase, before hurrying out the door.

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The man was turning the valve wheel that was now attached to the copper wall, despite the gate being rusted to hell, it is still in functioning condition. After the bars were fully raised up to the top, the man ran to the unconscious girl, shaking her to wake up. "Wake up, Wake up, for the love of god wake up!" The man pleaded to the unconscious women.

She began to slowly open her eyelids wide open. The first thing the lady saw, was a man with deep blue eyes, carrying a sword pointed near the female. "Oh thank god! You're alright!" said the swordfighter, _before being sucker punched in the face by the awakened lass, her left arm making perfect contact with his cheek bone._

The hero fell on his stomach, being met with the unforgiving floor. "Oh no! I am so sorry!" cried the women who came to fallen hero's aide. "Ow, what was that for?" said the man now caressing the left side of his head. "I didn't mean to, I thought you were trying to hurt me" The women regretting her actions. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you that much, did I?"

"It's fine, I'll live." The sword wielder stood up, still holding his cheek "Are you okay though? You were unconscious by that spot over there when I came here." He pointed to the wall that the girl was sleeping previously before. The lady turned her head towards the empty corner, and looked back at the man again.

"Um, yeah I'm fine, just a bit surprised is all. It's nothing to worry about…" The woman trailed off, she looking all around the location. Feeling nervous from a sense of unfamiliarity with her surroundings, the orange broad asked the guy in blue a question.

"What…where am I, how did I get here?"

"Don't know, when I woke up, I found myself in this strange place, just like you."

The color drained from the woman's face, feeling more agitated, she wrapped her arms around her torso for comfort. The lady however, felt something bulky and cold against her chest. Looking down, the girl saw a strange gadget encapsulating her right arm.

She shrieked to the dismay of the man, who is currently shielding his ears to prevent hearing damage. "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!" the woman screamed, frantically trying to free her hand from the device. "

"STOP!" the man shouted, the lady stopping in place from the volume of his voice "Just calm down, alright." The sword wielder continued "Panicking will make everything worse, can you uh…tell me your name?"

The girl calmed down a little, but was still under distress "I, don't know. I can't remember who I am." "It's fine, I can't remember my name either. Just take a breath, nothing is going to hurt you."

The broad followed the guy's advice, feeling much relaxed she had someone to talk to. "Can I see your arm?" Said the fighter in blue "I can try to take it off."

"Oh, of course" The lady showed the man her right arm, to which he careful examine. There doesn't seem to be a latch, a button, or anything on the device that would release her hand from the contraption.

"Sorry but, there's no way I can see that can remove this from your arm, but we'll find a way. I promise." The girl felt disappointed, she won't be getting the infernal machine off her anytime soon, but at least she wasn't alone in this.

"Hold on a second, there is something written on here." Said the sword wielder, who just found a word imprinted under the gadget.

"Really? What does it say?" replied the woman.

"Let see here." The man said-narrowing his eyes onto the tiny print. "It says: **Gunner** ** _._** "

"Hey, I see something written on your weapon as well." The girl said, who pointed to handle of his sword. The man looked at his sword, to which he unsheathe. Bringing the bladed instrument to his eyes for a closer view. Indeed there was a word on the grip of his sword; **Swordfighter.**

Was that their names? If that the case, it'll be a much better name than **_Mii_**. "You said that you can't remember you name correct?" The hero in blue asked the lady in orange.

"Yeah?" replied the confused woman.

"Well why don't we make up some names for ourselves, I'll be swordfighter, and you can be gunner. What do you say?" The man said with a smile on his face.

The broad grinned with delight. "I would love that."

"Okay, we why don't we introduce ourselves. Hello there" He raised his hand. "My name is swordfighter, it's nice to meet you."

The gal decided to play along, "Hi there swordfighter. My name is Gunner, is nice to meet you too." She grasped his hand, to which they did a firm but playful handshake.

Despite the severity and awkwardness of the situation, they managed to both laugh.

"Hey, want to stick together? After all, two heads are better than one." Said Swordfighter.

"You know what, that sounds like a great idea." Replied Gunner.

They began to walk onto the copper bridge, but unknown to them, there something was watching them behind one of the buildings, after the two were out of sight, it sunk back into the shadows, before teleporting elsewhere.


	3. Chapter 3: Coliseum Showdown

**Chapter 3: Coliseum Showdown**

"So let me get this straight, we are stranded on an abandoned floating island, with no memory of who we are, and we may or may not have a connection of some sort, based on the emblem on our belts?" Said Gunner. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." Swordfighter replied to Gunner. "Sounds crazy huh?"

The two reached the end of the bridge, arriving at the other island. There were many shops and houses cramped up against each other, with tall castle-like structures towering over the tiny buildings below. In the middle of the town, there stood an enormous coliseum with a caged dome on top, despite appearing ancient; it looked to be in mint condition.

"Oh it's crazy alright. I still can't believe this is even happening. I should be freaked out of my mind right now, but for some reason I'm not." Gunner said, kicking a small rock down the road after she was done talking. "Well none the less, we should keep looking out for more people, a way to get off this rock, or anything out of the ordinary that might help our situation." said Swordfighter. "I agree, I really don't want to stay here after dark." replied Gunner.

She went towards the window of a small home, trying to see if there was anything useful inside. Looking through the glass, Gunner saw a square dining table, with a chair on each corner. Each seat had a ceramic plate with utensils and napkins on each side. Bones (presuming of a turkey) rest on a silver platter in the middle of the table, spider webs had entangled the remains; it looks to have been there for a long time.

Gunner turned to speak to Swordfighter. "What do you think happened here? Where is everyone?" He rubbed the back of his head "I don't have a clue, everything was abandoned from what I saw, it's possible they might have migrated somewhere else"

"But their stuff is still here, why would they leave without their possessions?" she replied. "Maybe they left in a hurry?" said Swordfighter.

"That still doesn't explain why this island is floating in the first place."

"Perhaps we'll find answers further in town."

They came closer to the coliseum, standing high and mighty in front of the two fighters. Near the entrance, there was a water fountain. However, it seem to be still working; with water pouring out from the top, creating a waterfall that reached the bottom basin.

Swordfighter was observing the fountain "Hmm, looks to be the only thing working in this town." "I thought this town was abandoned? How is it still working?" Gunner Said. Swordfighter went closer to the foundation and examined it. "It appears to be an automatic, no need for people." he replied. "Really? It's still working after all this time? I guess these people were much more advanced than I give them credit for." said Gunner, who was standing next to Swordfighter. "Still looks pretty beautiful, given how old it is."

Gunner and Swordfighter looked at the fountain, the water was sparkling with joy in the rays of the sun; they stood like that for several moments before the sword wielder spoke. "You know, this actually reminds me of something."

"Oh! Do you remember something of your past?" replied the girl in orange. "Not exactly," Swordfighter answered. "I don't believe this particular memory was ever forgotten, I think it was always there, just didn't know what to make of it, but looking at this fountain gives me a small recollection of my old life."

"What do you remember? If you don't mind me asking." said Gunner, looking at Swordfighter curiously. He thought deeply for a few seconds before saying, "Well it's not much but I'll gladly tell you."

Swordfighter took a deep breath before continuing. _"I remember…a beach, stretching far the eye can see; the sea was crystal clear, you could see the fish swimming happily down below; the most sensational part of my memory, is this hotel room: had a flat screen TV, you could see the coast far out in the distance, and the best part was the bed, it felt so warm and comfortable; it was fantastic."_

"Sounds like you had quite the life." Gunner said, chuckling with delight. Swordfighter smiled "Yeah, it sure does."

"Hey Gunner." the blue fighter's smile faded a bit "Are you sure you don't recollect anything from your life?"

"Swordfighter, I can't remember anything, heck, I don't even know my own name!" she exclaimed, clearly upset at her predicament. "Maybe you need something to jog your memory. Like you, I also don't know my true name, but I do remember some parts of my old life. Try relaxing and look deep in yourself."

"I don't think it'll will work."

"Alright, well let's try something small. How about hobbies? Everyone has a hobby, is there anything you might have done for fun?"

 _FUN_

 _She arrived at the center of the plaza; people were either chatting in groups or walking around;_ Objects _from the various games of the amusement park were scattered around for everyone to admire; looking up, she saw the famous "Central Tower"'. It was a tall white tower with a blue TV screen attached to the spiral; a golden crown was on the top, shining brightly. This was main attraction part of the park; she could play games on the wide screen to earn prizes, she loved prizes. This was the most fantastic park in existence, and she was proud that she owned it._

An intense headache was ever so present in her brain, Gunner grunted in pain as she massaged her temples. "Are you okay? What happened?" Swordfighter said, worried for Gunner's safety. "I'm okay, it's just a headache. I think I remembered something." "Really?" he said. "What was it about?"

"I remember an amusement park of some kind, there was a huge Tower with crazy attractions all over the place, and I think I owned It." said Gunner.

"You own an amusement park?!" Swordfighter exclaimed with surprise. "I think so, it was only a snippet of my memories, but yeah, I think I own it."

"An amusement park, man that's pretty awesome." said Swordfighter.

"Yeah, hey maybe after this I can give you a free pass." Gunner said, attempting to humor with the man. "Ha, that's actually that's not a bad idea; I think I'll take up on that offer." Swordfighter jokingly said.

They both stood up on their feet, thinking of a next course of action. Gunner was the first to speak. "So what do you think we should do nex-"

*ROAR* "YEAH! Take that you monster!"

The fighters were interrupted by a roaring followed by a male's voice, shouting out the top of his lungs. "What was that!?" said Gunner. "It came from the coliseum; I think someone might be in trouble!" Swordfighter sprinted towards the entrance before looking back at Gunner. "Come on! There's somebody that needs our help!" Gunner nervously nodded her head, worried at what awaits them inside the arena.

The pair went inside the long corridor, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, not stopping until they reached the other end of the tunnel. They were stunned at the spectacle that was shown before their eyes. A man with: a red shirt, black hair, and yellow gloves; was fighting against a group of flying squid; each was wearing a golden Trojan helmet, with long swords firmly attached to their tentacles.

The man in red was dodging the slashes of the swords, he managed to uppercut one of the squid, knocking it out cold before a well-timed sword hit him with great precision. The man was propelled far into the air, landing just a few inches from the duo. The brawler quickly got up onto his feet; getting ready to fight the armored squid when he noticed Swordfighter and Gunner.

"Who the hell are you two?!" the brawler shouted with irritation, the two fighters were about to answer, when a couple of swords shot near them; piercing the ground in front of them.

"Never mind that, it can wait later." The red fighter said, trying to catch a breath. "I need your help, they're trying to kill me and they won't give up!" he shouted, pointing to the group of squid.

"We need to kill them! It's them or us!" he continued. "Are you insane?! We're no match for those things. We need to leave!" said Swordfighter, his heart beating fast from the gravity of the situation. "NO! Those monsters will just hunt us down, we need to work together to defeat them."

"No I agree with him, we need to leave!" Gunner said, pure terror running through her veins. She turned to face the only exit, when she saw more squid, blocking the entrance.

The cephalopod advanced towards the three fighters, brandishing the swords in their tentacles, as to show that they're are going to slay them. The man in red turned towards the pair. "We have no choice! If we do nothing they're going to kill us all!"

The brawler looked away from the fighter and ran towards a squid that was all alone by itself. The squid swung it's sword at the side, hoping to slash the man's hip. The brawler jumped high in the air to dodge the attack, on the way down; he raised back his fist; before punching the monster straight in the face; defeating it in one fell swoop.

Gunner and Swordfighter were distracted by the man-taking down a squid with a single strike, that they were caught off guard by the two squid behind them. One of the squid attacked Gunner, slashing its sword into her chest. She was thrown back a couple of feet, tumbling onto her belly.

"NO!" cried Swordfighter shocked to see her friend injured. He turned towards the squid with clenched teeth, fuming with anger, he dashed towards his enemies. The sword wielder thrusted his sword into one of the monsters forehead, killing it instantly. The other squid approached him, raising both its swords, obviously preparing to take the fighter down with a devastating downwards swing.

However, Swordfighter was quicker on the draw, pulling his weapon out of the beast, he blocked the doubled slash. Their swords clashed together, the blades were pressed hard against each other.

The hero and the monster were deadlocked in a test of wills, seeing who is stronger. Only one can win.

Gunner was struggling to get on her knees, that creature swung it's sword on her torso. She should be dead or the very least injured, but looking down, she saw no damage what so ever, it was like the sword didn't strike her

What happened? The sword clearly hit her, she even felt the pain; but there wasn't a scratch on her, why was she still alive.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw another squid speeding towards her. No, it can't end like this! She was too young to die, it's getting closer, no, No, NO!

Gunner used her arms to shield herself from the oncoming attack, she was bracing for the worst when the device on her right arm glowed to life. A big sphere of green plasma came from the opening, the projectile shot through the monster, leaving a large glowing hole where its face should be.

The dead squid slumped to the ground, confusing Gunner to what just happened. How did?...Is this?...This thing on her arm is a weapon; a plasma cannon! She is not defenseless after all. She can fight back!

She saw Swordfighter struggling against the squid, the monster knocked him down on his back, now vulnerable to the Trojan beast. "Sword!" Gunner cried, she aimed her cannon at the fiend trying to kill her friend.

She shot a smaller, but faster plasma ball at her target. The squid was about to strike down upon it's prey, when the green ball burned through its chest. Killing it instantly.

The cephalopod fell to the ground to the surprise of Swordfighter, wondering to where the projectile came from, he looked behind him and saw Gunner on the ground; the opening on her device smoking.

Swordfighter was wondering how Gunner managed to do that, but put the thought aside, now's not the time.

Swordfighter ran over to the orange fighter, helping gunner get onto her feet. "Gunner! Are you okay? You're not injured are you?" Swordfighter said with deep concern. "I'm fine, just a bit winded that's all." She said using the sword wielders body to pull herself up.

"AAAUUGHH"

The turned their heads to see the man in red being cornered by the last of the two squid, the fighter was struggling to put up a fight.

Swordfighter took the initiative and sprinted towards the battle. He impaled one of the squid from behind, the blade going through the creature's heart. The other squid was too shocked to see its partner slain right in front of it, that it didn't see the red fighter delivering a death blow to its temple.

"Are you okay?" Swordfighter asked the man. "I'm fine. Those bastards just caught me off-guard." Said the brawler, seething through his clenched teeth.

"HO, HO, HO" shouted a voice from above. All three fighters looked up to see one more squid remaining; it was a bit larger than the others, and it was floating high up into the air so the three of them won't be able to catch him.

Gunner aimed her plasma cannon at the monster, charging her weapon before firing off a large plasma sphere at the flying target. The squid dodged the projectile however, as it hit the large golden spike attached hanging off the top of the cage.

The squid laughed with satisfaction, taunting Gunner as it prepared to throw swords at the three fighters.

However, the spike broke from the top, crashing down onto the squid, sending the monster and the spike towards the ground.

The golden stalagmite hit the coliseum floor, embedding itself deep within the earth.

"We survived, Sword we survived the battle." Gunner said, as she hugged Swordfighter.

"We did, those monsters didn't stand a chance. We're still alive." Said Sword, joining her in the embrace.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Said the man in red.

They were puzzled at the brawler, wondering why he said that, before noticing at what he was looking at.

Large cracks from where the spike fell, spread throughout the entire dirt floor. The ground began to fall apart as bits of blue sky was becoming visible.

"Oh crap." Said Swordfighter, realizing what's about to happen.

The entire coliseum floor collapsed, sending the three fighters down into the sky. The trio screamed as they fell, sending them down into the blue abyss.

* * *

Hi there, I've been having trouble posting another chapter, The doc manager won't let me upload. So If you know how to fix this problem, can I get a PM? I don't know what to do?


	4. Chapter 4: Intruder Alert!

**Chapter 4: Intruder Alert!**

The three fighters fell for what seemed like hours. They would be panicking right now, but the fighters are already dead tired (screaming and thrashing around is just plain exhausting).

Now they are trying to formulate a plan to save themselves from certain death; even if getting out of this alive was slim to none, they have to take it.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW!?" cried Gunner, raising her voice so she can be heard over the winds of the sky.

"I DON'T KNOW! BUT WHATEVER IT IS, WE NEED TO DO IT PRONTO!" said Swordfighter, trying his best to be brave.

"OH GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING SHOOTING AT THAT SPIKE!" the man in red shouted at Gunner accusingly. "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU STUPID BROAD!"

Gunner was taken aback from his words, she didn't expect him to be so angry and cold towards her. However, he does have a right to be mad at her, she did caused it after all.

It was an accident of course, but it doesn't change the fact that they might die, all because she didn't pause to think. She just had to shoot that thing didn't she?

"HEY! DON'T TREAT HER LIKE THAT! SHE DIDN'T MEAN TO CAUSE ALL OF THIS!" Swordfighter snapped at the brawler.

"BUT SHE CAUSED THIS NONE THE LESS!" the man fired back at the sword wielder "AND NOW WE'RE ALL GOING TO FALL TO OUR DEATHS!"

"STOP SAYING THAT, WE"LL FIND A WAY! WE SURVIVED THOSE MONSTERS BACK THERE! WE CAN SURVIVE THIS!" said Swordfighter.

"OH REALLY, IS THAT SO!" replied the man; his voice sounding very sarcastic and insulting. "HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS ONE?! HMMM! I DON'T SEE ANY TRAMPOLINES OR A MAGICAL NET HANGING FROM THE SKY TO SAVE US DO YOU?"

"I KNOW HOW IT LOOKS BLEAK RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THIS!" Swordfighter said.

"OH! I'M SURE WE ARE!" said the brawler, his toning becoming more negative by the minute.

"AT LEAST I'M TRYING TO SAVE US, YOU'RE NOT EVEN HELPING." Swordfighter said to repulsive man.

"PA-LEASE! LIKE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS IS GOING TO HELP US AT ALL!" said the red fighter.

Whiles the two men were fighting, Gunner looked downwards, and was immediately horrified.

"Guys."

"MISTER. I DON"T THINK I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE."

"OH YOU DON"T LIKE MY ATTITUDE?"

"YEAH, IT'S SICKENING. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! WHY ARE YOU SO PISSED?!"

"GUYS!"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WE ARE FALLING TO OUR DEATHS! HOW CAN YOU NOT BE PISSED OFF!?"

"WELL I THINK YOU NEED TO CALM THE HELL DOWN!"

"CALM DOWN!? ARE YOU ON DRUGS? GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR AS-

" **GUYS!"**

Both fighters stopped their yelling and bickering and turned to Gunner.

"WHAT!?" both of them said with irritation.

"GROUND!" She said, her body shaking faster than a jackhammer.

"GROUND?!" said Swordfighter and the man, looking from above they saw what appears to be a forest of some kind with rocks and tall trees, _and they were heading straight towards it!_

"YAAAHHHH!"

"OH GOD!"

"AHHHHH!"

They all screamed with terror as the three of them were coming closer to the earth. Death was only a mile away, but just before they can get splattered all over the dirt, a small cloud hovering close to the ground was floating in the path of the falling trio.

The fighters crashed into the cloud at an astounding speed, the body of vapor acted as a cushion, saving them from certain doom.

The combined weight from the three of them made the cloud slowly sink to ground level, making a quiet thump when it hit the bottom, whiles the Heroes were baffled as to what just happened.

"What just happened?" said Gunner "Did…did the cloud stop our fall?"

Curious, Swordfighter got up knees and touched the cloud with his hands. "It appears to be made of vapor, yet it's soft and squishy. This should be impossible, how is this even happening?" the sword wielder questioned.

"Who cares?" said the man in red "We survived, that's all what matters."

"Yeah of course you don't care." Sword wielder said to himself, his voice carrying a hint of distaste. He turned to look at the fist-fighter and spoke. "I'm sorry, I don't think I ever got your name."

Gunner's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, that's right! We were so busy fighting those things that we never introduced ourselves." She said

"Yeah, we didn't." said the man in red, his arms folded against his chest, clearly disgruntled about something. "I suppose right now is the best time as any to break the ice."

"Okay, I guess we'll go first" said Gunner "The name's Gunner, and my friend here is Swordfighter and we-"

The man interrupted Gunner, confusion clearly displayed on his face. "Wait, hold on. You're guy's names are Swordfighter and Gunner?"

"Yeah, so?" said Swordfighter, getting slightly annoyed.

"Those can't be your names, it's too ridiculous; what are your real names?" Said the man, sounding insincere to the two fighters.

"Of course there not our real names, we're just going off on what's on our weapons." He pulled out his sword and showed the man the grip, his name visible on the handle. Gunner followed shortly after, stretching out the device on her arm, she rotated the gadget to reveal another name in the bottom of her cannon.

"We don't know our real names." Swordfighter said, putting his sword back in the sheath. "In fact, we don't even know who we are. The two of us woke up with little or no memories about our past. All we know is that we're in some strange place where cities fly in the sky and the clouds feel like cotton candy."

"We're still trying to comprehend what's going on." He continued "The two of us met by sheer luck. We stuck together after that, trying to help each other out in this fairytale land we're lost in. How about you, what's your story?"

The man put his hand onto his chin, thinking for several seconds before speaking. "Well if really want to know, I found myself in one of the buildings in town, and I think it was a bar. I went outside and walked around for a little bit till I came across the coliseum. I walked inside and was ambushed by those freaks, that's when both of _you_ showed up."

"And your name?" asked Gunner.

"I don't have a name, forgot it just like you."

"Okay, then what do we address you by? Saying 'mister' or 'dude' would get tiring pretty fast." Said Swordfighter, leaning his back against a tree.

"Hm, well since both of you named yourselves after what's on written on your gear, I guess I'll do the same as well." The man showed Swordfighter and Gunner the underside of his left hand, there was a word stitched onto the wrist of the glove:

 **Brawler.**

"So, that's your name for now on?" asked Gunner.

"Yes, for now." Replied Brawler.

"So now that introductions are over, what happens now?" Questioned Swordfighter.

"What happens now, is that I'm going to find out where the hell I am, this is where we go our separate ways. It was nice meeting you and all, but I prefer to go solo. Catch you around." Brawler said nonchalantly.

The fist-fighter began to leave the group when Gunner said "Wait!" He stopped and turned to the shooter, wondering to what she as to say.

"Why don't you stay with us? There are many strange things within this land, there could be danger lurking around every corner; besides we don't know where we are. The three of us can accomplish a lot more if we stick together. So what do you say? Want to team up?"

Brawler was pondering over her offer. She had a point, he barely managed his own against those squid, he didn't want to imagine what would've happened if they haven't showed up. As much as it conflicted with his character, pairing up with these two would be the best.

"I suppose I can stick around for the time being." Said Brawler.

Swordfighter opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it closed; sighing very quietly before leaning of the tree.

"That's great! Now that all of us are together as a group, what should be our course of action?" Gunner said.

"Well, I think we should scout the forest, it's getting dark and I don't think it's a good idea to be out in the open when the sun goes down, we should look for shelter." Replied Swordfighter.

"You're not suggesting that all of us venture out blindly in the woods are you? We have no map, no food, and no knowledge of what we might find. It's a huge risk." Said Brawler.

"It's a risk that we need to take." Argued Swordfighter "We don't have any food or supplies, not to mention that there could be monsters running around when it's gets dark. We need to go, we have no other option. Do you really want to camp here? Knowing that we could easily be torn to shreds by savage beasts? "

Brawler stayed silent, his arms were folded and his eyes narrowly glared at the sword wielder.

"That's what I thought." Said the sword wielder, smirking slightly at Brawler. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going, our adventure awaits."

The three fighters went further into the forest, hoping to find anything that might them out. Despite the situation they were in, a sense of optimism was felt throughout the group. They defeated monsters with their wits and strength alone; surely they could handle a simple walk into the woods right?

* * *

Oh god were they wrong. It became midnight much earlier than expected, making hard to see; to make matters worse, a terrible storm began to brew; letting loose: intense winds, heavy rain, and deadly lighting against the trio.

However, they did manage to exit the forest to their relief. All they have to do now is to find a way to escape this chaotic weather.

"It's too dangerous to stay out here much longer!" Shouted Brawler. "We need to take refuge somewhere!"

"I know! But I don't see anything to protect us from the storm." Said Swordfighter.

"Wait! I think I see something over there!" said Gunner, pointing to her right. "What is it?"

The rain made it incredibly difficult to see what was out in the distance, the object in question being barely visible to the fighters. What they saw appears to be a small cabin made of wood, withstanding the harshness of the unforgivable storm.

"It's a cabin!" Brawler exclaimed "We can use it as shelter, come on!"

Gunner, Swordfighter, and Brawler all ran to the cottage. The three of them entered hastily before slamming the door shut. The trio took a sigh of relief, they were safe from the storm at last.

However, upon closer look on the inside of the room; there was nothing: No furniture, No fire place, and even no windows.

The only thing that decorated the place was a large purple square rug, placed in the center of the room.

"That all that's in here!?" said Brawler, becoming very upset. "Is this some kind of joke? Haven't we suffered enough?"

"Well like it or not, this is the best we're going to get, so we might as well make the most of it." Said Swordfighter.

"But there is nothing here that can help us, how the hell can we make the most of it, when we're given little to work with?"

"There is that rug over there" Gunner said, approaching the mat. She grabbed it with her left hand and lifted off the floor to show Brawl and Swordfighter "We can use this as blanket, that way we can stay warm till tomorrow."

The two fighters were not paying attention to Gunner, they both were gazing at the spot where the rug was a second ago.

"What are you guys looking at?" said Gunner, before turning her head towards where the boys were staring at. She became surprised at what was previously under the mat.

A large metal trap door lied near her feet, it was very clean and brand new. The three of them grouped around the square hatch, wonderment growing inside them, as to what was under the door.

"Should we open it?" Questioned Gunner.

"Well there is nothing else we can do here. Perhaps there is something inside that might benefit us." Answered Swordfighter.

Brawler tightly grabbed the door handle, using his strength to allow them entry inside.

There was a stone staircase that led to a wide tunnel, it was lit by rows and upon rows of lanterns. A trail of yellow paint was visible on the stone floor, leading to an unknown destination.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" said Brawler.

"It's the only thing we can do at this moment, if anything dangerous happens we can run back here and lock it shut." Said Swordfighter

"Alright then, I'll go first" said Brawler, before descending downwards, he looked at his immediate surroundings before shouting "It's clear! Come on down, it'll be fine."

"Okay" shuddered Gunner, feeling uncomfortable about this plan "I'll go next, it won't be that bad." She said to Swordfighter, giving him a fake reassuring smile as she was descending down the staircase.

"Fine then." Swordfighter quietly said to himself. "Let's see where you lead us to."

The sword wielder grabbed onto the metal handle as he was coming down. The hatch closing upon touching to wooden floor. A loud thunder echoed through the room, before becoming silent once more.

* * *

They traveled through the tunnel for an indeterminate amount of time before reaching the end; a ladder was attached to one of the walls, leading up to another metal hatch above.

"This is as far the trail leads us." Said Swordfighter, who raised his head to look at the trapdoor on the celling. "Let's pry this thing open. Brawler?"

"On it." Said the fist-fighter, He climbed up the ladder all the way to the top, using his upper-body strength to push the door open.

The trio went up the ladder, entering through the square hole that was in the floor. The room they were in was small; assortments of food and spices were stuffed onto the shelves; the light fixture was dimly lit, darkness covering a good portion of the room; finally there was a door right in front of them, with the letter P plaster on the panel.

"Where are we?" Gunner said.

"It appears to be a pantry." Answered Brawler.

Swordfighter observed the items that were packed on the shelves "All of this seems to be still fresh, is somebody still living here?"

"Only one way to find out." Said Brawler. He approached the door and rotated the knob. Allowing the group entry into the next area.

It was the kitchen, the room was very sterile and glossy, invoking amusement and surprise out of the fighters.

"This place looks well kept, there is no dust, cobwebs, or any damage in here. Somebody has been here for a while. Stay on your guard." Swordfighter told the group.

Gunner walked over to the counter, and found a large steak resting on a steel plate.

 _It's still warm_.

"Check this out." Said Gunner. The rest of the group went over the where the girl was standing, staring at the piece of meat, still steaming in the light of the room.

"Look at it, it's as big as my torso." Said Gunner, who could possibly eat this monstrosity in one go?"

As she said that, something took notice of them. It silently came closer to them as it readied its claws. Preparing to attack.

"Probably someone who is incredible fat, I bet the guy is wide as a whale." Brawler said with a straight face.

*ROAR*

The roar of a large animal was heard behind them, they swiftly turned around to see a large monster, very angry at their presence.

The creature in question appeared to be a dragon of some kind, its skin was bright orange; the wings were massive, almost as big at the beast itself; and its tail was on fire, yet the creature did not seem to be burnt by the yellow flame raging on its body.

"Crap! Another freak!" Shouted Brawler; who ready his fists, preparing to strike the dragon down.

The monster was enraged at Brawler's Insult. In retaliation it raised up his claw before striking him down, He never had a chance to react.

Brawler was thrown across the room, slamming into the fridge. He slumped to the ground in a daze, trying hard to regain his senses.

"Brawler!" Cried Swordfighter, he unsheathed his sword and tried to thrust the blade at the creature's stomach.

However the beast realized what he was about to do and dodged out of the way. The reptile counter-attacked by swinging its flaming tail at Swordfighter's side. Knocking him flat on the ground in pain.

Gunner aimed her cannon at the orange monster, preparing a shot of green plasma. To her surprise however a blue beam of energy projected out of barrel instead, blasting the creature to the floor. This surprised the shooter, now realizing she can shoot different projectiles. Wonder what else this thing has in store for her.

But now's not the time to be getting curious, she had a dragon to defeat. She focused the blaster on the beast, hoping to take it down.

The orange reptile quickly got up on its feet, it took a deep breath before breathing out a steady stream of fire towards the girl. Gunner on instinct, fired her attack as well; shooting out a much more concentrated beam of blue energy.

The two attacks collided with each other, pushing against one another to see who will be victorious. The flaming breath was more massive and spread out than its opponent, but it was no match for the unstoppable force of glowing light.

The beam powered through the fire, reaching towards the dragon with no effort at all. The orange beast was blasted backwards, it slammed into the wall with such force. Leaving a cracked impact upon its surface.

Brawler finally stood up, shaking his head from the pain. He saw the creature downed, but could still see the reptile had some fight in it. He ran towards the beast with posthaste, hoping to kill the monster before it got up.

The dragon barely opened its eyes before a power uppercut struck against his chin. The creature flew into the air, breaking through the fractured wall.

It landed on the floor in the other room, clearly in pain from the blow.

 _ **Unfortunately they also found much more**_

A Large yellow mouse getting petted by a man in an orange and red metal suit, a card tower was being arranged by a blue canine and a solider, and two kids in parkas chatting with a 2D stick figure.

There were all sorts of strange people and creatures in the room; they were in the middle of a dining hall, enjoying a nice feast on the dinner table. They all stared at them with utter shock and confusion.

Until one voice within the crowd screamed "SOUND THE ALARM! THERE ARE INTRUDERS IN THE MANSION!"

This cannot go well.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, my account was glitching and wouldn't let me post any content. It's fixed now, I'll try to post these as soon as I can.**

 **Till next time**


	5. Chapter 5: Run

**Chapter 5: Run**

The strangers quickly sprung from the dining chairs; they brought out their weapons: guns, swords, fists and all, waiting for the first move. Brawler turned to Swordfighter and Gunner, he uttered one word that put them all on edge. " **Run!** "

The trio ran towards the pantry, hoping to escape the residents of this manor. The sound of an alarm blasted throughout the building, creating an almost deafening noise. They almost reached the storeroom until a metal barrier suddenly shut over the door, closing off their exit.

With the sounds of many footsteps coming in their direction, they tried to look for a way out of the kitchen. Right next to the barrier was another door, open slightly outwards to a long hallway.

"Come on, let's go!" shouted Brawler, as the trio left the kitchen.

They were running through hallways left and right, with the strangers quick on their trail. A metal gate descended from the ceiling and was falling to the ground, Swordfighter and Brawler managed to get past the bars before it touched the floor, but Gunner was not too lucky; she wasn't fast enough. _She was stuck on the other side_.

"Gunner!" shouted Swordfighter as he pressed up against the bars, looking at the shooter in the eyes.

Gunner scanned the gate, looking for a way to get through, but to no avail. "There's no way through, I can't come with you!" cried Gunner, pure fear running through her veins.

"I think they came through here!" said someone, further down the hall behind them.

Gunner shrieked and ran towards a corridor to the left of the gate, disappearing out of sight from the sword and the fist. "No! We have to go after her!" said Swordfighter, putting his hand though the bars.

"We can't get to her, she out of reach!" Brawler said, put a hand on Swordfighter's shoulder "We need to go now!"

'But!-"

"FOUND THEM!" yelled a deep coarse voice. The residents has spotted the two fighters, and is now running towards them at full speed.

"NOW, SWORD!"

Swordfighter looked at Brawler with deep sadness in eyes. He didn't want to leave Gunner behind, but if he stayed here he'd be at the mercy of these people. So they both sprinted away from the mob, putting a great distance behind them.

Sword looked behind him as he ran; the crowd was stopped by the gate, preventing them from going after the two. Half of them split off from the horde, heading towards the same corridor that Gunner went through seconds ago.

As the sword wielder turned his head back to focus on evading the residents, he thought out loud, deeply worried for her teammate ' _I hope Gunner is okay._ '

* * *

She was running through the halls in a blind panic, getting more lost by the second. Tears began to well in her eyes from the fear and stress from the chase. She doesn't want to get caught, she can't get caught. If they catch her, she'd be at the mercy of her captors, who knows what they got in store for her.

Gunner turned a tight corner, hoping to find a way out of this mess. Instead however, she came across some of the people that were chasing her: An anthropomorphic wolf, a tiny yellow mouse with black ears, a fat penguin with a hammer, a princess dressed in pink, and a kid with a red baseball cap. All of them stopping in their tracks the moment they saw her.

The canine pulled his gun from his holster and aimed at the girl "Halt! Don't take another step!" he shouted in an authoritative voice.

Gunner froze, fearing that if she moved even an inch, the wolf would pull the trigger; but she heard the raging footsteps thumping behind her. They were getting louder. They are coming closer. They are going to get her.

 _NO! She needs to keep running, she wants to live!_

Gunner's body sprinted on its own accord, she headed straight towards the group, hoping to evade and push past her hunters.

The canine opened fire, shooting out a powerful projectile of green energy. Gunner ducked as she ran, barely dodging the blast as it flew past her head. The shooter slammed into the wolf, knocking him to the ground.

Next was the child, He raised both his arms and shouted on the top of his lungs. "PK FIRE!" a small yellow light bolt came out of his hands, hitting Gunner with pin-point accuracy.

The pain instant. The flames engulfed her like she was drowning in water. She screamed in agony as she was caught ablaze, thrashing around for several seconds as the fire surrounding her died out. She looked down at her body for any damage, but once again found nothing. Despite being burned alive, no injuries were visible on her.

Gunner was stunned, surprised that she somehow escaped unharmed once again. The shooter was taken aback however, when she heard the sound of high heels coming nearby.

The princess was charging straight forwards with a frying pan in hand, winding up her weapon of choice to strike the intruder head-on.

Gunner yelped and pointed her cannon at the noble, discharging a blue beam at her attacker. It hit the women in pink with great force, blasting her into the kid, taking them both out of commission.

She continued to move forward with a purpose, still running for her life.

' _Okay, I can do this_ ' She thought ' _If I dodge their attacks I can escape this unscath-'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she tripped over the mouse, who howled out the word "PICHU!" in pain.

Gunner face-planted to the floor, getting a mouthful of rug. She opened her eyes in a daze, feeling very disoriented. The shooter's blood ran cold when she noticed the feet of the penguin, standing a couple of inches away from her. Looking up, the shooter saw the bird raising a large hammer over its head, preparing to hit her with a downward swing.

She rolled to her left just as the mallet struck the ground. Gunner quickly sprang upwards, heading pass the penguin with great speed.

The girl went as fast as her legs could take her, staying out of reach of the mob. Gunner thought she was in the clear until she came stumbled across a dead end.

Oh god no, she's going to be cornered! There has got to be another opening!

"SHE WENT THIS WAY, COME ON!"

Gunner looked backed at the hallway behind her, the sound of stomping and voices coming closer. She must escape, there has to be a way.

The shooter quickly scanned her surroundings and found a brown door, opened slight inwards to mysterious darkness.

She went inside and shut the door. The girl turned her back around, letting her eyes adjust the blackness. It was hard to see, but it appeared to be a bedroom, the design was very elegant. Like it was made for a king.

Gunner went towards the bed and crawled right under the frame, in hopes of not being discovered.

The door slammed opened, hitting the wall with a loud thump. The feet of many hunters poured into the room, like the ocean invading the hull of a ship.

"Where the hell did she go!? We almost had her. Dammit!" said a Loud gruffly voice.

" _Calm down Bowser_." said a voice in her head, the tone being very relaxed and modulating. " _She couldn't have gone far, I'm going to take a scan."_

"What do you me- Oh that's right!" Exclaimed someone, sounding very dignified. "Your aura vision, good thinking Lucario!"

"Indeed." said the relaxed voice before taking a deep breath, he stayed silent for a couple of seconds before whispering to the group.

It was hard to hear exactly what they were talking about, but she did discern a couple of words.

" _I…..under….bed._ "

Under the bed!? How did they find her so fast?

Everyone quietly surrounded the piece of furniture, two large hairy hand grasped the edge of the bed frame, preparing to lift the bed up.

' _They found me!_ ' thought Gunner ' _I got to do something! But what?!'_ there was nothing on her that can-Wait her cannon!

She looked at her weapon, with a lightbulb turning on in her brain. If she can't run away from her problems, she just have to beat to them to a pulp!

A gorilla wearing a red tie heaved the bed up with great strength, tossing it to the side-now exposed to her assailants.

Gunner out of desperation, aimed her blaster at the group, discharging many projectiles of yellow energy from the end of the barrel.

Everyone dodged out of the way of the spray, _except the Gorilla_.

The ape was shot multiple times before being thrown into a red headed swordsman and an astronaut. They all slammed into door, knocking it off its hinges as the three of them crashed into wall, just outside in the hallway.

A ninja with a white scarf pulled out a bunch of needles, she jingled the thin pieces of metal in her hand before throwing it in towards the direction of the shooter.

Gunner rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the needles that had embedding itself into the wall.

She got up, standing on one her knees. She charged up her cannon before blasting out a ball of green plasma, the orb heading towards the ninja with the great speed.

A 2D stick figure saw the attack and quickly leap into action. He stood in the way of glowing sphere and pulled out a bucket seemingly out of nowhere. The globe of ionized gas turned into white light as it was absorbed into pail.

Did the ball of intensely hot and glowing plasma, just went into his bucket? What the hell?!

Gunner heard the floorboards creek over on her right, a blue jackal-like creature was standing next to the shooter, staring deeply into her eyes as to say: 'make your move'.

Gunner discharged her laser at the canine in surprise, the canine vanished out of thin air as the beamed touched him. Disappearing without a trace.

' _Where'd it go?!'_ thought Gunner, now more confused as ever.

She suddenly felt someone kick her back, sending the shooter flying towards the stick figure. The 2D entity tossed the contents of the bucket into the air right into Gunner; _it was burning oil._

The liquid petroleum blasted the girl into the celling, leaving cracks and fractures to where she landed. She stuck there for a moment before heading towards the floor with an embarrassed thud. Gunner struggled to get on her hands and knees but felt something warm and radiating entangle her entire body.

Somebody in red and orange armor was coiling her up with a blue energy beam, it seem to be emitted from a cannon-like device that was attached to its right arm.

"Roy! DK! Are you alright?" the concerned canine said to the ape and swordsman who reentered the room.

"We're fine, just had the wind knocked out of us. Nothing we couldn't handle." Said the red head.

The knight looked at the restrained girl on the floor with curiosity "So this is the intruder?"

"Yes, but there are two more still running around." Spoke a feminine voice, it seem to come from the person in the armor, she looked towards the group and said "We need to catch them as soon as possible, we don't know their intentions. For all we know, they came here to spy on us."

"Okay. Donkey, GW, and I should go out. Find the other intruders. And try to capture them.

"You go and do that." Said the lady in the armor, she turned to look at the shooter and said "We'll handle this one."

Gunner silently whimpered in her bindings, filled to the brim with fear at what they have in store for her.

* * *

Swordfighter and Brawler ran up a flight of stairs. They open the door and found themselves in a hallway connected to a balcony. Looking over the railing, they could see the tables that the diners were eating at earlier. They appear to be somewhere on the second floor

The door they previously went through busted open, letting their pursuers into the hall. "Halt!" shouted someone, as it passed through the crowd. It was a creature that had a round body, its color was dark blue, and it wore an intimidating mask; with only the eyes visible. "You're under arrest for trespassing! Surrender now and we promise no harm will come to you!"

"As if we're going to listen to you!" said Brawler, who yelled back in rebellion "You all can rot in hell!" He materialized a metal ball in his hands and threw it towards the creature.

The masked fiend covered himself with his cape, vanishing before the metal sphere could hit its target. He reappeared next to Brawler and Swordfighter, the caped knight raised his sword high up before slashing at the two with great skill.

Brawler evaded to attack by rolling out of the way, his friend however, was not so lucky. He wasn't fast enough to dodge the sword, the blade hit him with great force, sending him flying off the balcony.

Swordfighter landed on one of the dining tables; breaking it in half. He survived, but he was in a huge daze from the blow, the sword wielder was practically seeing stars.

"DAMMIT! NO!" shouted Brawler, who watched his partner fell to the room below, powerless to anything at all. He looked backed at the mob in outrage; after clenching his fist and gritting his teeth, he ran further down the corridor-keeping his distance from the residents.

Many of the hunters gave chase whiles a good portion of them dropped down to the first floor to deal with the sword fighter.

The blade wielder slowly rose up; still feeling a headache rummaging throughout his skull. He watched as his enemies were getting position to take him out; an elf in a tunic, a large yellow rat, and a green dinosaur all charged forward to make their first move.

The elf was first, he jumped in the air with grace before plummeting down towards the ground; the sharp end of his blade pointed straight towards the blue fighter.

Swordfighter jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. He swung his sword to the side, hitting the elf. His pointy-eared assailant was launched far away from him, crash landing with his face on the floor and butt in the air.

Swordfighter felt something hit the back of his head; which broke with ease, leaving a slimly spot on his hair. He turned around to see the dinosaur throwing large green spotted eggs at him, the reptile eyeing the sword wielder with determination.

It threw another egg at him but this time Swordfighter was prepared, he ducked to ground with ease, grabbed a metal kettle that has spilled on the rug, and threw the object at the animal.

The container hit the dinosaur straight on the nose, knocking it down to the floor.

Lastly, Swordfighter faced the rat, who'd glared deeply at his very being. He dashed towards the rodent, ready to send it to kingdom come.

The creature looked up in the air and screamed on the tops of its lungs "PIKA!" A thunderous storm cloud formed up above, sending a bolt of lightning at the sword wielder. It hit him with great power, sending the fighter crashing into a wall-far across the room.

He strained himself to get up, as he opened his eyes to see a guy in overalls squatting to the ground before launching sideways straight towards him.

He felt his blood pressure spike as he dodged to his left; avoiding the man as the green plumber got his head stuck in the wall-struggling to pull his noggin out of the barrier.

A kid in a red cap sporting a badge on his shirt pointed at the blade-wielder with his index finger. "Squirtle, use 'water gun'!" he ordered to the blue turtle standing next to him.

The tortoise gave the human a nod before turning towards Swordfighter and breathing out a large stream of water. The pressure of the spray pushed him to ground, making the blade-wielder wet in the process.

"Okay! We got this, now use bite!"

The creature ran to the downed swordsman, it leaped in the air as it opened up its jaws to take a huge chomp out of him. Swordfighter caught the animal before it can lay its beak on him, he threw the beast off him; the shelled-foe heading towards a grandfather clock.

The turtle hit the clock with great momentum, shattering the glass panel as it slumped to the floor. The critter got up to its feet, rubbing its head from the impact. The creature heard something creaked behind it, the tortoise turned around in confusion, only to see the clock slowly tumbling down upon the unfortunate soul.

It screeched out the word "SQUUUIIIIRRRTTLLL-!" before it was crushed by the heavy clock; which broke apart the moment the timepiece made contact with the floor.

"NO! SQUIRTLE!" shriek the human, who extended an arm in the direction of his pet.

A blanket of blinding light covered the pile of junk. When it dissipated, a faded statue of the tortoise laid where the clock had crashed down-forming some sort of pose whiles attached to a golden base underneath.

' _What the Hell?!_ ' thought Swordfighter in bewilderment ' _what happened to the turtle?!_ '

He was so distracted by what happened, that he didn't noticed a pair of twins-dressed up in parkas, pressing their hands against the ground.

A surge of intense cold emanated from their palms, freezing the ground solid. A trail of frost was heading towards the sword-wielder, trapping his feet in ice.

Swordfighter yelped at the sudden drop of temperature that was numbing the lower part of his body. He looked down to see that everything up to his thighs was encapsulated by frozen water.

The pair of Eskimos turned their heads towards a kid with blond hair, and an elf in a white dress.

"Zelda!" said the twin in blue

"Lucas!" said the twin in pink

"We need some help!" shouted both of them at the same time.

The elf and the boy nodded without hesitation. The girl projected a red fireball from her hand, whiles the blond yelled "PK THUNDER! Discharging a ball of purple lighting-leaving a trail of electricity to wherever it went.

Both projectiles soared through the air like sharks searching for prey, and they were swimming to the trapped fighter-looking for blood.

Swordfighter skipped a beat when he saw the two spheres getting closer. In his terrorized-state of mind, he began to hack the ice with his weapon-being very careful not to cut off his own legs off.

 _The orbs were half-way to their destination._

He managed to get rid of a good chunk of the ice, but he still has ways to go.

 _The balls are coming closer, getting bigger by the second._

One of his legs are free now, the other one is still stuck. Swordfighter pulled on his own leg-praying that he will be success.

 _ **They're almost here!**_

He broke his foot out of the frozen water, landing on his rump as the pair of globes zipped past him-missing the swordsman completely.

Swordfighter heard the two projectiles hit something-making a large bang, but he didn't care what it was. He's more focused on getting the hell out of here. A door leading out of the dining room was in walking distance of him, the blade-wielder got up and sprinted towards the exit.

Unfortunately, two more of his pursuers blocked the path, a blue-haired swordsman and the same creature that had knocked him down here in the first place-they won't let him leave without a fight.

But if a fight is what they want, then a fight is what they'll get.

Swordfighter took out his blade in hand, and began to slash the assailants wildly with it. However his attackers proved to more experience in the art of fencing. He didn't even get a single hit on his assaulters.

An anthropomorphic fox steadied his blaster at the lone sword-wielder, firing a well-placed laser at his left eye.

The beam of concentrated light hit his pupil. In pain, the swordsman put his free hand over the injured eye-letting go of his stance. Leaving him wide open.

The man with blue hair kicked him in the stomach, sending the dirty blond a couple of feet away.

A soldier pulled out something from his belt and pulled on the pin with his mouth "Meta! Marth! Get out of the way!" said the serviceman as he threw the object towards the group. The swordsman and the creature jumped out of the way by the time it hit the floor.

Because he was hit directly in the eye with a laser, it made it much more difficult to see clearly; but he did perceive the item in question laying on the ground in front of him.

It appeared to be a small round metal ball with a lever attached to top. There also seems to be missing something, there was a small hole near the lever. It was like something had been pulled from here and-

Oh son of a-

The grenade exploded in his face, launching him a couple feet in the air before landing on the ground with a large thud. Yet by some miracle he managed to survive in one piece. However was disoriented and in a lot of pain, he saw his sword laying near him-just inches away.

The sword-wielder struggled to grab his weapon but it was snatched by a quadrupedal animal; it had a huge flower bud on its back with vines sprouting from the top. It clutched the sword with its plant like tentacles as it moved away from him.

The now unarmed fighter attempted to get up but was stopped when he felt something sharp poke his throat. Looking up he could see that the blue-haired swordsman pressed his blade against his neck, as well as a fox who aimed his pistol at his head whiles the solider steadied an RPG at his chest. Swordfighter sighed in defeat as he closed his eyes. The man raised both his hands in the air, muttering the words he never hoped to say.

" **I surrender.** "

* * *

The sound of Brawler's feet echo throughout the corridor, dodging arrows made of pure light. He was still being chased by the mob; who was still hot on his trail. He sprinted faster to stay out of their reach, but found two people in the hallway. Blocking his path.

It was a monkey and an elfin kid, they we're having a chat; unaware of the situation at hand. They turned to the commotion to see a stampede heading their way.

They began to scream in terror as Brawler mowed them down with a shoulder charge. The fighter ran to the other end of the hall, punching the door open with brute force as he went inside.

The room he was in appeared to be an old dusty attic; Knick-knacks and ancient treasures were placed all over the room. Brawler would have been intrigued the sight if he wasn't being hunted down like an animal.

His pursuers busted the door of its hinges, letting them access to the room. His assailants came in all sorts and sizes, but the most notable one was a pinkish creature, with a purple tail extending from its stomach area. It floated off the ground a couple of feet before landing softly on the floor.

" _You won't be able to escape you know._ " said the feline creature, projecting his thoughts into Brawler. " _This mansion's security system has been activated, closing off all the exits. Not to mention you are outnumbered. Just give up. It'll make things easier for all of us."_

Brawler's temper was heating up, this freak was mocking him, think he's just some coward. _He is dead wrong._

"That's not happening." Said Brawler, the words seething through his teeth like venom.

" _Then so be it_." Said the beast, his eyes glowing a tint of blue. The residents got in position, ready to attack. This was his last stand, his last chance to escape this alive.

A fat man in a biker outfit went first, he went on his motorcycle as he speed towards the fist-fighter; his mouth grinning with delight.

Brawler side-stepped out of the way of the bike; punching the man in the gut, knocking him of his ride and onto the floor.

Then came the anthropomorphic bird who pulled out a blaster, firing off blue lasers at his main target. Brawler picked up the fatty and used him as a meat shield, blocking all the shots with his hostage's big belly.

He grabbed the biker by the feet, spinning a couple of times before sending the punk flying into the avian creature. The overweight man crashed into the bird, knocking them both down for the count.

Brawler heard footsteps coming behind, he rotated his head to see a buff swordsman and a doctor ambushing him from behind. The doctor was first, he spawned large colorful pills from his hands; which bounced off the floor with ease, having no respect to the laws of physics.

The fist-fighter maneuvered through the vibrant capsules, getting very close to the physician. He leaped far into the air with great agility, before drop kicking the MD in the face; sending him launching into a pile of boxes,

Whiles Brawler attempted to get up from his risky stunt, he saw the beefed up mercenary raising his large sword to strike him down. He rolled out of the way of the golden blade.

He rose up on one foot, winding his fist up behind his back as he punched the man in the crotch with all his strength. The swordsman collapsed to his knees-holding onto his pelvis. Brawler then grabbed both of the man's shoulders, performing a devastating head-butt. The blue-haired brute didn't stand a chance, he fell to the floor. Down for the count.

Suddenly the fist-fighter felt a surge of electricity run through his body, he screamed in pain as he was paralyzed in place from the shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a woman in a ponytail aim her gun at the lower end of his back. A pink round creature with rosy cheeks came out from behind the women. Slamming a hammer into Brawler's spine.

The force of the hit launched the fist-fighter into a glass display case, shatter the see-through window. He slumped to the ground, hope was quickly sipping away from him. He was considering giving up until something long and metallic brush up against his lap.

It was a rocket launcher of sorts, the weapon was greenish in color and designed with a large opening on both sides of the firearm.

Brawler picked up the weapon and pointed to the direction of the hunters. A large firecracker came out of the barrel, the bomb was shot towards a kid with cartoonish eyes and a blue hedgehog-like creature. The explosion blasted the two into the wall; leaving a pair of open holes inside the brick structure.

The fist-fighter was surprised on how effective his bazooka was, he lips curled into a devilish smile before firing at will at the mob.

Everyone was either getting blasted or dodging out of the way, except a grey robot who stood defiantly as it fired lasers from its eyes. The beam hit Brawler's rocket launcher, knocking it out of his hands as it skid across the floor; far away from the fighter.

A red plumber saw the brawler unarmed, he saw as an opportunity. He got up from his cover and charged straight towards his target.

Brawler knew what the mustached man was planning, he formed another metal sphere in his hand as he threw it with great precision. However, Instead of the ball hitting the man, he took out a yellow cape and swung it in front of the projectile; reflecting it back at the fist-fighter.

It hit him right in the directly in the face, sending him flying towards a man with green skin and orange hair. The brute caught Brawler by the neck, he outstretched his hand holding the fighter away from him as the orange yelled out "Falcon!"

A guy in a blue suit and a red helmet turned his head in the direction of the caped thug, eyes widening at the intruder caught between his palms. They both nodded as the man named "Falcon" darted to the green giant.

He winded his hand backwards as fire began to engulf his arm. "FALCON PUNCH!" yelled the man in the blue suit, before punching Brawler directly in the chest.

The force of the fiery punch had send the fist-fighter straight into a wall. He flopped to the floor, the energy sapped out of him. He barely managed to take a breath as he was pushed against the brick by an unseen force.

It was the creature with the purple tail. He extended his arm at the fighter, pushing the fist-fighter against the barrier with telekinesis.

" _I just got word that your friends have been captured_." Said the beast, his voice having as very serious tone. " _You're all alone, no one is coming to save you. Just give up whiles you still have your dignity_."

Brawler looked at the beast in the eye, fury erupting from his core. "NOT A CHANCE YOU MONSTER! I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET THAT HAPPEN!"

" _The stubbornness is strong with this one._ " The fiend muttered to himself, he turned his head to a small round pink creature on the ground. " _Jigglypuff. I'm afraid the man won't go quietly, I think it's time to give him a good old fashioned lullaby._ "

"Lullaby?" said Brawler, becoming very confused.

The pink animal took a couple of steps forward; getting up and close to the restrained fighter. It took a deep breath before singing a song; Sounding quite soothing to Brawler's ears.

The fist-fighter felt very tired, feeling his muscles and mind relax to the rhythm of her voice. He tried to stay awake but the melody proved too irresistible for Brawler to handle. He took one last glance towards the floating creature before closing his eyes. Letting the darkness of sleep take him at last.


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking the Ice

**Chapter 6: Breaking the Ice**

The stadium was filled to the brim, all of them watching the fight in the ring. There were two boxers brawling in the square, all landing blows to each-others bodies.

The one with black hair dodged a punch to the temple, he got back straight up; retaliating with a devastating uppercut to his opponent chin. His adversary flew up in the air for a couple of inches, landing on the floor; knocked unconscious.

A referee came to the downed fighter and began to counting.

" **1! 2! 3! 4!** "

Come on, stay down.

" **5! 6! 7! 8!** "

Almost there!

" **9! 10! Knock out!** "

The audience erupted with applause and acclaim. They praised him yet again for winning another match. He got tired of winning time after time, feeling very bored from not having a sense of challenge. However it was worth it; Getting cheered at, have people chant your name, becoming a _hero_ in their eyes. He wouldn't trade it for the world.

The boxer got up on one of the corners of the ring. The fighter got up on top of the pole and extended his arms into a T-pose. Making the cheers go louder.

 _Yes. nothing can ruin this moment._

" **Brawler.** " Said a female voice

The boxer looked around him, trying to find out the source of the noise but to no avail.

" **Come on Brawler wake up!** " Said another voice, this time being male.

He looked back at the stands to see all of the audience had disappeared; the stadium appeared to be rusty and broken. This place had been abandoned for some time.

" **Brawler we don't have the time for this! Get up!** "

" **Please Brawler, for the love of god just wake up.** "

The spot lights began to turn off one, slowly placing the world in a thick darkness.

" **Why won't you get up?** "

" **Brawler we need you.** "

What happened to the stadium?! Where are his fans?! _What's going on?!_

" **Wake up!** "

" **Open your eyes!** "

" **What's wrong with him!?** "

" **Get the hell up!** "

" **BRAWLER!** "

* * *

Brawler opened his eyes in alarm, sitting upright in a comfy bed. What the hell was that dream? Was it a memory, or perhaps something else?

"Oh thank goodness you're alright." Said a voice to his left. The fist-fighter turned his head to see Gunner and Swordfighter peering over him.

"Sword? Gunner?" said Brawler being very puzzled. "What are you doing?" The red fighter looked around the room he was in, it appeared to be a bedroom; large enough to fit three people. It included a large bathroom, a walk-in closet, and a flat screen TV hanging off a wall. "What happened. Where are we?" Brawler said to the pair.

"We got captured." Said Swordfighter, sighing with disappointment. "They took away my sword and shut off Gunner's cannon. After they rounded us up, we we're put in here." Sword gestured around the room. "Our captors locked every possible exit in this area; said they'll come back for a 'chat'."

' _They? Who is-' Thought_ Brawler, before all of the memories from the previous encounter flooded his mind like a hurricane; the image of the floating creature still present in his brain. He gritted his teeth with indignation at the revelation.

Oh that's right. **"They"**. The bastards who took them down like it was nothing.

 **Damn them to hell.**

"Did they hurt any of you? Brutal interrogations or torture perhaps?" said Brawler, his blood boiling in his body "Because if they did. I'm going to tear them limb from limb! I'm going to snap their necks! I'm going to-"

Gunner interrupted the fighter in his rant "NO! Nothing like that at all. We weren't tortured or abused when they caught us. In fact, they offered to heal us up; heck, some of them even said sorry.

Brawler was taken aback with disbelief. "They actually helped you?! That's impossible, they hunted us down like criminals. Why would they all of a sudden care about our well-being?" questioned the fist-fighter.

"I know how it sounds but it's the truth, I was with her the entire time, they seem genuine."

Brawler gave out a huff. Still struggling to believe the story "When did this happened?"

"Whiles you were unconscious" said Gunner "You slept the entire time, so you wouldn't be able to know what's going on."

Brawler replied back "But that doesn't make any sense, they have nothing to gain from taking care of us. We're dead weight to them. For all we know, they could be planning to dispose all of us right no-"

The door began to unlock, the trio turned their heads towards the door as it slowly opened.

Some of the captors entered the room: a solider with a beard, a turtle-like monster, a jackal, a blue-haired swordsman, and a robot with binocular-like eyes. The canine stepped forward from the group; holding a metal tray in its paws.

The dog looked at the fighters with a smile on his face " _Oh good, all of you are here."_ Said the blue creature as he approached the table near the bed.

" _Now that everyone is accounted for, it's time to get to_ _ **business**_ **.** " Said the jackal as he placed the platter on the tabletop. The three of them stared at the tray with suspense. Especially Brawler, who eyed the object with enmity.

What is hides under the plate cover? Perhaps array of hammers and pinchers for unrelenting torture? A gun to blow their brains out on the wall paper? A machete to hack them apart.

 _Or maybe even-_

The canine lifted the metal dome, revealing what's inside.

 _A plate of grilled cheese sandwiches and pitcher of lemonade?_

He thought his eyes deceived him, but there it was. A nice hearty meal, guaranteed to fill up the bellies of the most ravenous of gluttons.

" _We didn't know what to serve you-being unfamiliar with your species dietary habits. So we took the safe option and went with grilled cheese and lemonade. I imagine you're all very famished after that exhausting chase_." Chuckled the blue-furred canine.

The trio looked at the supper with hesitation, being unsure whether to consume the food.

" _Oh come on now._ " Said the dog, his lips still curved into a smile. " _We didn't tamper with it, the only things we put in the food is a handful of healthy ingredients, and compassion. In fact I'll prove it._ " The animal grabbed one of the sandwiches from the plate, he showed the fighters the grilled delicacy in his paw before taking a huge bite out of it-the cheese being pulled from the bread, going into his snout.

" _See? Just an ordinary sandwich. Go on ahead, try some. It's on the house."_ The creature beamed towards the platter.

Swordfighter looked at the canine for a couple of seconds before turning his attention at the dish. He slowly extended a hand towards the tray, grabbing a grilled-cheese from the plate. The sword wielder put the snack up to his mouth and began to chew.

He munched the chow in his jaw, swallowing with a huge gulp. "It taste…just right" said the fighter, as he continued consuming the meal.

Gunner blinked a couple of times at Sword's words, she faced the table with curiosity-grasping a large sandwich in her hands. The shooter nibbled on the crust; her eyes widening with delight.

"Yeah these are really good." Proclaiming Gunner, taking another ravenous bite.

" _Well I'm glad you liked it._ " Said the canine, being pleased with Swordfighter and Gunner's approval.

Brawler however, did not join with his 'friends' in the feast. He outright refused to eat anything the creature had to offer; despite his stomachs protest.

"Just what are you trying to pull?" Brawler said, menacingly glaring at the animal with disdain.

" _I…beg your pardon?_ " said the jackal, his smile slowly fading.

Brawler got up from the bed, standing in defiance in front of the blue mutt. "Just earlier you and buddies were hunting us down like we were criminals; beating the living crap out us, but now all of a sudden you're trying to act like you're our best friend? Appealing to our better nature by putting on a jolly act whiles giving out free food! Well you know what? I'm not falling for it! You all revealed your true nature during the battle, I saw in your eyes. All of you are bastards, every single one!"

The residents were taken aback. Not expecting the harshness of his words to be so vile.

"But I am perplexed. If are so concerned about our safety like you claim, then why did in god's name did you chase us down like blood-thirsty animals?!" Said Brawler. Infuriated with outrage.

"Because we thought the mansion was under attack." Piped the solider, his bandana draping over his shoulder.

"Under attack?!" Brawler replied, his tone erupted in astonishment.

The bearded man nodded "Yes, under attack. Think of it from our perspective; we were all in the dining hall, enjoying ourselves with a great feast. When all of a sudden, our friend was blasted through the wall; his body was in a lot of pain. Then we saw the _three of you make your grand entrance._ "

Gunner and Swordfighter cringed with embarrassment, whiles Brawler expression remained the same.

"You broke in, destroyed private property, and dealt the first blow. We had every reason to believe it was an attack. We were just following protocol." Said the solider as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it with a grey lighter-taking in a deep breath before expelling the smoke from his lungs.

"But I suppose you're not the only one at fault here, we deserve just as much of the blame as you do. Perhaps we should have started off by demanding an explanation rather than duking it out. All of us could have solved this peacefully instead of resorting to violence. Mistakes were made on both sides."

"You're damn right mistakes were made!" shouted Brawler, raising his fist to express his anger. "You could have killed us you know! With your pointy swords, laser guns, and meatheads with the power to blast you away with a fiery fist, are you kidding me?! It's a miracle that we all survived!"

"Oh pa-lease!" said a gruffly voice, everyone turned to the turtle-like creature leaning against the wall "There was no way in hell we could have killed you, it would have been impossible. You're just upset that you got your butt handed to you. Get over it! "

The fist-fighter eyes blood pressure began to rise again, his face becoming red hot. "Get over it? You want me to get over it?! Go to hell you spikey-shelled freak! Someone ought to shoot you and leave your corpse to the buzzards!"

The turtle eyes widen with rage, puffs of smoke coming from his nostrils "You want a piece of me you little wimp?! I'll cut you like a fish!"

They both began to march towards each other, more than willing to kill to tear their adversary apart. However the blue-haired swordsman got in between them, preventing them from brawling.

"Stop it, both of you!" said the man said, his voice becoming very stern "We are here to talk, not to fight. Please. Calm down."

Despite the monster and the fist-fighter's reluctance, they did manage to relax; letting off some steam. The two of them were still furious, but at least they won't try to kill on another.

"Thank you." The swordsman sighed with relief, he waited for a couple of seconds before speaking up again. "Okay. I think we gotten off the wrong foot here- _again._ Let's break the ice by introducing ourselves, my name is _Marth_. I'm a prince from a faraway kingdom called: Altea. I have great pride in my heritage and I'm sworn to protect anyone in need. It's an honor to meet you."

"[My identification is Robotic Operating Buddy, but call me R.O.B. everyone does]" spoke the robot, his voice becoming very monotone and dull.

The Creature was still in a stare off with Brawler, looking very infuriated. "I'm King Bowser, the most feared ruler in the entire world." Boasted the monstrous turtle.

"Solid Snake." Said the solider, putting out his cigarette in ash tray.

" _And I'm Lucario, I'm well...A Lucario, a species known to see and manipulate Aura: the force that surrounds every living thing._ " The canine extended out a paw to Swordfighter for a handshake. " _It's nice to meet you Mr..?_ "

"Swordfighter." Said the sword wielder as he grasped Lucario's forepaw, shaking it firmly with respect. "The name is Swordfighter. The girl and the guy with me is Gunner and Brawler."

" _Those are some very lovely names Mr. Swordfighter. Glad to be of acquaintance._ " Lucario once again shook Swordfighter's hand for several seconds before retrieving his paw back at his side. " _I imagine you have many questions swarming around your mind right now_ " said the jackal, his posture becoming much more serious.

"As a matter of fact we do!" Said Brawler, he walked towards the creature; arms folded in annoyance. "Where are we, what are you, and how the hell to we get back home?!" Demanded the fist-fighter-getting straight to the point.

Lucario, despite the man's rudeness, managed to maintain a respectful and friendly tone " _The answers to those questions_ _are very complicated, it would sound like absolute rubbish if I told you. So to make things easy, I'm going to tell you a story about the history of this world. Things will make more sense if I do it this way. Do you want to hear it?_ " asked the jackal.

"Uh…yeah, we love that." Piped the shooter, injecting herself in the conversation.

The blue canine nodded his head " _Very well then._ " He pulled out a chair from the table-getting comfortable as he sat down on the seat.

" _Sit down and get comfy, this is going to be quite the tale._ "

* * *

 _Long time ago, in a place where nothing existed, before the existence of creation came to be. There was an entity known as_ _ **Master Hand**_ _; A god who was a giant living hand._

 _He formed The_ _ **World of Trophies**_ _(WOT) a universe separate from the entirety of reality. He was the ruler of this domain, and he enjoyed every second of it._

 _But eventually he got bored, being the only habitant in this world of his design. So one day Master Hand came up with the idea of a fighting tournament: his own subjects battling against each other in his honor; and amusement._

 _He created the_ _ **Smashers**_ _:_ _living trophies, made in the image from the beings of other worlds, whose sole purpose was to brawl for the entertainment of the godly hand. Angry over the meaning of their creation, the Smashers rebelled!_

 _They banded together and defeated Master Hand, but upon their victory, without his power. They reverted back into sculptures. This was known as the_ _ **64 era.**_

 _Next was the_ _ **Melee era.**_ _Shortly after Master Hand's death, he was revived by his twin entity:_ _ **Crazy Hand.**_ _Together they continued to create and collect trophies. In order to trick the sculptures into believing that they were the real heroes, rather than mere duplicates. They copied the home worlds of the original heroes, and inserted them into the world of trophies._

 _The two of them brought the Smashers back to life, and once again forced them to fight. The Trophies once again rebelled and fought back against Master Hand and Crazy Hand._

 _The Smashers defeated them, and this time won the ability to continue their lives without the continued magic of the hands. Master Hand went into hiding and Crazy Hand disappears._

 _After the second age was the_ _ **Brawl era.**_

 _As Master Hand plotted how to regain his collection, he is captured by a cosmic entity named_ _ **Tabuu.**_ _Tabuu was the ruler of a parallel dimension called_ _ **Subspace.**_

 _Tabuu devised a plan to destroy the World of Trophies, absorbing it into his own world. He controlled Master Hand's mind and formed an army of his own to take over the WOT. He almost achieved his wicked goals too. The Smashers had barely defeated the cosmic demon, erasing Tabuu from existence. Killing him permanently._

 _However, Tabuu's attack on the WOT left the Omniverse unstable, If things have kept going as they had, everything that ever existed would be destroyed. Forever._

 _Luckily, The World of Trophies stepped in, acting as the glue. Preventing the collapse of reality which still holds to this day._

 _After the war, the trophies got together and formed their own society. They called themselves the_ _ **Super Smash Brothers, **__The sculptures continued to live out in peace and harmony, accepting new Smashers with open arms. Dedicating their lives to protect the Omniverse, for the rest of eternity._

* * *

" _And that's the end of it._ " Said Lucario, smiling slightly from remembrance " _Now, do we have any questions?_ "

The trio was stunned, not knowing what to say. They stayed silent for several moments before Swordfighter spoke up "So…This place were in. It's the World of Trophies?"

Lucario nodded once more " _Correct. We're in the World of Trophies, where we are right now specifically, is the_ _Smash Mansion_ _; our home. Yeah the name's very corny I know, but it works none the less."_ Said the canine, who rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness.

"So what lies within this world?" Pressed Gunner getting more intrigued by the second.

" _There are many things that can be found within this land; Ruins of ancient civilizations, monsters the size of houses, Powers that are beyond your wildest dreams. You're stepping into a world of pure imagination, this place has more in common with the realm of fiction than the universe of grounded reality."_ Lucario answered almost immediately _._

"Okay that sounds very interesting and all, but what the hell is a 'Smasher'? You said they were beings from other worlds but you didn't go in detail on what they actually are. How can a team of ragtag misfits defeat one of the most powerful beings in all of existence?" Said Brawler, questioning the legitimacy of the canine's story.

" _Well you see Mr. Brawler."_ Said the jackal, shrugging off the fist-fighters attitude. " _You; Me; and everyone else in this building is a Smasher. As I said before, we are beings that were created by the god: Master Hand. He controlled us for a while but we rebelled against his tyranny. Winning our freedom from the unruly king._ "

Gunner raised her hand in the air, getting the attention of Lucario.

" _Yes Miss Brawler?_ " Asked the canine.

"What kind of powers do Smashers possess?" replied the shooter, taking another grilled cheese from the plate.

Snake took a stool from the edge of the bed and sat right next to Lucario, injecting himself in the conversation. "Exact abilities vary for each Smasher, but there are some general skills and talents that each person possesses" Answered the solider.

"Like?" said the Sword wield, cocking an eyebrow.

"R.O.B. list the powers that all Smashers have in common." The bearded man told the robot.

"[Affirmative.]" The robot said as it made a series of bleeps and bloops, it was calculating something in its mind before speaking up again. "[The traits that every single Smasher has are listed as follows: Enhanced Strength, Invulnerability, Enhanced Agility, Pain Reduction, Combat Intuition, Double Jumping, Force-Field Generation, and Immortality.]"

"IMMORTALITY!?" Shouted the trio of fighters, shocked by this newfound revelation.

"Yes you heard him right-Immortality." The solider plainly said, as he poured himself a glass of cold lemonade from the pitcher.

"But how?" said Swordfighter, trying to wrap his head around this new piece of information.

"I can explain that." said Marth, sitting down on the edge of the bed "You see, Smashers are very unique from the rest of the beings that reside in the Omniverse; we can absorb the damage from injuries, preventing us from getting hurt.

"Absorbing damage?!" The fist-fighter said with confusion.

"Yes, absorbing damage." The swordsman answered, shifting himself in the bed. "Let me explain: All Smashers have a very complex mechanism embedded in their body-Its practically apart of their existence; we call this the _Percentage System_. This "system" prevents the fighter from getting hurt by absorbing the damage from injuries and attacks, leaving the Smasher in one piece."

"However the damage has to go somewhere, it doesn't simply disappear." Marth continued. "So the Percentage System Transfers the damage from the injuries into energy. This energy is stored up in the body; being trapped inside the fighter. We call this energy: _Percent._ As the Smasher gains more Percentage, the fighter's abilities become stronger but it also makes the user easier to get launched by attacks. If a Smasher absorbs too much damage at a time, they'll enter their _Trophy State._ Taking the fighter out of commission until someone revives them."

"Trophy State?" Uttered Gunner, who tilted her head in bewilderment.

Bowser groaned with annoyance "A trophy state is when a Smasher is turned into life-sized statue. When in this state; they're unable to do anything. The fighter is essentially in a coma, helpless to save themselves. The only way to revive a fallen Smasher is to make physical contact with the round golden base they're standing on. Doing so will bring the fighter back to life; erasing the percentage from the body."

"Turn into a trophy? Oh! That's what happened to that blue turtle!" Exclaimed Swordfighter, suddenly remembering the chase that happened earlier ago.

"What the hell are you talking about Sword?" Questioned Brawler, turning his body to face the sword wielder. "Before I was captured, I fought against blue turtle that can puke water. When I defeated the creature it turned into a statue. Is that what you meant by a trophy state?" The sword wielder asked Lucario and Snake.

" _Yes, what you saw happen in the dining room was indeed a trophy state._ " Replied the blue canine.

"It all make sense now" Swordfighter said to himself aloud. "Is the turtle going to be okay? I didn't mean to hurt it."

"Don't worry about." Snake said to the sword wielder. "Squirtle has been taken out of his trophy state and is quite alright. He forgives you for the attack, so you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Well that's a relief." Said Swordfighter, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment "Is there anything else we should know?"

Marth was the one to speak "One more thing, besides not being able to get hurt; is the ability to never change. Every aspect of a Smasher cannot be altered: this includes our age, personality, powers, and appearance. Everyone here is like a record stuck in time. We can't go forward, and we can't go back. You're doomed to stay like this. _Forever_."

The trio felt a sense of uneasiness from Marth's explanation "That's sounds…very disturbing" said Swordfighter-twiddling his thumbs.

"Trust me it's not bad as it sounds." Said the prince, standing up from the bed. "You get used to it after a while."

"Ookkaaayyy then." Said the shooter, feeling a little uncomfortable. She changed the conversation to something else, to take her mind off the implications. "Now that we established that all of this is a huge misunderstanding, do you think you transport us back to our home world perhaps? There are probably people looking for us right now."

All the residents winced at once, staying deadly silent at Gunner's request. "What's wrong? Why's everyone gone quiet?" piped the shooter, getting increasingly worried at their captor's actions.

Lucario slowly rose from his chair, the smile that was plastered on his snout before was replace with a sad somber expression " _I don't know how to tell you this but, there is no possible way that can happen._ "

The three of their heart's skipped a beat, getting very tense at what Lucario is implying.

"Why the hell do you mean we can't go back!?" yelled Brawler at the canine, clenching his fist with anger.

" _Mr. Brawler let me explain-_ "

"Are you keeping us here? Imprisoning us for trespassing!"

" _No! It's not like that its-_ "

"WE JUST WANT TO GO HOME! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO-"

" _ **YOU CAN'T GO BACK HOME BECAUSE YOU NEVER LEFT IN THE FIRST PLACE!**_ " The jackal telepathically shouted in their minds, the anger fury that Brawler had felt before was now replaced with confusion and surprise.

"Huh?"

" _You never left this world, you were here since the beginning._ "

"What?! No that can't be right! You said That Smashers were beings that originated from other worlds. So that means-"

" _I said they were beings that were copied from other worlds._ " Said Lucario, interrupting the fist-fighter.

" _Copied?_ " Brawler said in utter disbelief.

" _Yes, copied. You see Mr. Brawler, we are not the real thing; we are clones of the original._ _This world has a way of creating new smashers, it searches the entirety of the Omniverse; looking for potential heroes. Once it finds a worthy hero, it replicates every aspect of the warrior; transferring the collected information into their trophy form. Creating a brand new Smasher into existence"_ said the jackal, becoming very seriouswith his choice of words. _"Because of the fact that the World of Trophies is separated from the rest of reality, and that all trophies are bound to this land; we can never leave this realm"_

The three of them were in absolute shock. Swordfighter' and Brawler's jaws dropped to the floor whiles tears threaten to spill from Gunner's eyes "So, we can't go back home?!" sniffed the shooter.

" _I'm afraid so, you can never return to your world_ "

Gunner slumped to her knees, crying into her hands, mourning the loss of everything she ever knew.

Lucario went over the sobbing girl, she went down to her level as he gave her a big hug-patting on the back for comfort.

" _Shhh...Shhh…It's going to be alright"_ Cooed the blue canine " _You're going to be okay"_.

"No I won't." wept the shooter, pressing her wet face into his fur "We're trapped in this place, all of our loved ones are on the other side, and we can never see them again. We'll be in this hell forever."

" _Don't say that._ " Lucario said, wiping a tear from her face " _It's true that you cannot leave this world, but that doesn't mean there's nothing for you here. I know how you feel Miss Gunner, we all do, we've been through the same thing you have. All of us had thought that everything was lost, that there was nothing worth fighting for but we created something together. We picked up ourselves from the ground and started looking up, and eventually we all found something worth living for. We all made our peace with our fate, and we never looked back. I don't know what will happen in your future, but I assure you that this is not the end: Things will get better. I Promise."_

"Gunner Stopped sobbing, her breaths becoming very slow and shaky. " _Feeling Better?"_ asked the canine. "A little, thank you for trying to cheer me up." Lucario hugged her once again " _Don't mention it._ "

Swordfighter approached the two, picking up his feet off the ground until his was right in front of them "So… what happens now?"

" _Well Mr. Swordfighter that's all up to you."_ said Lucario, he let go with his hug with Gunner; standing up to eye-level with the sword wielder. " _We can release you. Letting you go out into the world, exploring the big wide world. Or."_

" _Or what?" said Swordfighter._

" _We can stay with us, you can join the Super Smash Brothers. We'll give you: Food, Water, Shelter, and you need to make yourselves comfortable. We will support you in any way we can, as well as to train you on how to survive in the realm if you desire. So what do you say?"_

"I'm staying." Said Gunner slowly picking herself off the floor, her eyes still red from the tears "I vote for staying."

Swordfighter thought of the deal for several moments before turning towards the canine "I'll take you upon your offer, for how dangerous this world is; a bit of guidance would definitely help us out." He looked towards the fist-fighter, whose was staring at the ground in thought. "How about you Brawler?"

The red fighter raised his head to meet everyone's eyes, trying his best not so show any emotion "I choose to stay, but only because I've got no other choice." Said Brawler, avoiding eye contact with the group.

"Well I guess we'll all be living here for now on." Swordfighter said the canine. "Thank you for doing this."

The Lucario smiled with glee, taking the sword wielders hand for another handshake. _"You're welcome Mr. Swordfighter._ _ **Welcome to the team.**_ _"_

* * *

 _ **Whew, that chapter took a while to complete. Anyway I'm glad for your patience for this story. I'll be quite busy with college so I may have some trouble fitting the fanfiction in my schedule but i'll try to work on it as much as I can. I don't want to rush this. I want this to be the best story it can be. So i'll be updating this story irregularly but I will try to release chapters as soon as I can.**_

 _ **If you have any suggestions on what I should be doing in this story, you can write it in the comments or PM me. I'll be willing to listen to new ideas**_

 _ **Till next time.**_


	7. Chapter 7: The Newcoming

**Hello There, Crystal brick here! I managed to get this published despite college and personal struggles. I'm going to work on the next chapter after this one.**

 **Want to give some shout outs to the people in the reviews. here we go.**

 **XjewellX: I'm glad you like the story, i'm going to be working really hard on the next one. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **With out further ado. Here is Chapter 7**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Newcoming**

 _1 week later:_

 _Gunner, Swordfighter, and Brawler took the offer of the residents; decided to live at the mansion with the rest of the Smashers. The trio had trouble fitting in at first, but eventually they assimilated into the team._

 _In order to help them survive the harsh conditions of the World of Trophies, the three "_ _ **Mii**_ _" fighters had been given lessons in the ways of "Smash"; unique fighting techniques that only Smashers are able to perform._

 _As of right now, they are struggling to fight properly; failing more times than they can count; They may be weak now, but in due time, they will master the art of fighting; becoming the best Smashers they can be._

 _It's their destiny._

* * *

The trio was now standing in training room, listening to the instructions of Marth; paying attention to every word. "So you're going to teach us how to use force-fields?" the sword wielder said to the prince. "Correct; one of the most important techniques for a Smasher to learn is the skill of defending oneself from such attacks." The blue haired swordsman replied to the fighter.

"How do we use it then? I know R.O.B. said that force-field generation is one of the abilities that all Smashers have but, it seems too complicated to actually work. How can we possibly master this?" said Gunner-sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Look, I know how preposterous it sounds, but it's actually not that hard to pull off." Marth said; gesturing a small monkey wearing a hat to come closer to him. "Allow me to demonstrate."

The prince and the primate were stood several feet towards each other, getting ready in position.

"Alright." Said the lord "First you want to focus on your body. Just imagine the energy following from your mind to every part of your anatomy." He warmed up with a couple of stretches in his arms and legs. "Next, you have to time your opponent's attack; waiting for the right moment to shield.

He faced the monkey, preparing to go in a defense stance. "Do it."

The chimp nodded, pulling out a wooden gun-aiming at the caped man with focus. The brown firearm was shaking at an exponential rate-making a loud humming sound as it charged up. As the gun was reaching its limit, the monkey known as _Diddy_ pulled the trigger; firing a large peanut straight towards the lord.

Before the projectile could hit Marth, a bubble of red energy formed around the blue haired prince; blocking the peanut as it shattered against the force-field. "Woah" said Gunner; the trio looking at the demonstration with awe.

Marth dropped the shield; his body relaxing into a much more comfortable posture. "And that's how you create a shield" said the swordsman, bowing in front of the fighter. He turned towards the monkey and said "Thanks for helping out Diddy, you may go now."

The primate tipped his cap towards the blue hair; leaving through a door to south of the gym. Disappearing into a long corridor.

"Now that I showed you how to properly use a shield, would anybody like to give this a try?" Marth said to the sitting trio.

Swordfighter slowly rose his hand and said the words "I like to go fir-" " **I'll go**." Before being interrupted by Brawler, who got up from the floor-walking towards the royal prince.

"Okay, here's how this is going to work." The prince picked up a yellow sphere from the ground, giving it a sight squeeze "I'm going to toss this ball at you. You need to block it with your shield before it touches your body. Are you ready?"

"Yes." Said the fist-fighter.

"Now before I do this, I want you to focus on your body, imagine the energy flowing out of your-"

"I know how it works, just throw the ball." Brawler said, feeling very annoyed.

"Alright, here it comes." The lord winded up his arm before tossing the ball at the fighter. Just like what happened with Marth, a force-field surrounded the red fighting; the yellow ball bouncing harmlessly off the barrier.

"Wow!" exclaimed the swordsman "On the first try too, good job Brawler!"

"Was hardly a challenge." The fist-fighter said with pride. "Barely broke a sweat."

"Gunner why don't you go next?" the blue hair said the shooter who perked upon hearing her name.

"I don't know if I should do this, it looks kind of uncomfortable." Said the female fighter, shifting nervously on the ground.

"Come on Gunner, it'll be fun I assure you." said Marth.

"If you say so." Said the orange fighter; unconvinced that this will go well.

"Don't worry, it's just a ball it won't hurt you." said the prince, winding up his arm to toss the sphere at Gunner.

"Okay, 1-"

"Ah!" shouted the orange fighter, flinching from the expecting blow-but felt nothing. Looking up she saw Marth still holding the ball; with a perplexed look on his face.

"Gunner I haven't even thrown the ball yet, calm down."

"Oh. Right." Gunner said sheepishly, getting back to her original stance.

"1, 2, **3!** " The prince counted; tossing the ball right at Gunner. She raised her arms in front of her, hoping the ball won't hit her. She was surprised however, when a red bubble encapsulated the orange shooter; blocking the ball with much easy."

"There you go Gunner!" said Marth, very satisfied at the results. "You pulled it off without a hitch. See I told you it wasn't going to be that bad."

"Yeah, I ace it!" beamed the shooter, the frown that was on her face earlier had become a smile.

"Last but not least the sword wielder." Said the prince, gesturing in Swordfighters direction. "It's your time to shine sword"

The blue fighter sprung from his sitting position with glee. Getting in position in front of the blue hair "I'm ready. Lay it on me!" ecstatically said the blond, feeling excited on learning a new move.

"Okay, here it comes" said Marth.

He can't believe it, he's going to a new power! Creating Force-fields. Imagine what he could do with it! If he had that ability he would-

A yellow ball hit Swordfighter in the face, disrupting out of his train of thought. He tripped over his own foot-face planting in the ground.

"And you failed spectacularly." Brawler said sarcastically. "Why am I not surprised?"

Swordfighter gave the fist-fighter a death glare, staring intently on his eyes. "Come on now Brawler, not everyone makes it on the first attempt, it's all about trial and error." Marth said to the red fighter before looking at the blonde. "Sword, get up. We're going to try this again."

Swordfighter quickly rose to his feet, preparing to shield against the yellow sphere. When Marth tossed the ball at him however, it hit the sword wielder in the torso; bouncing right off the fighter onto the floor. Rolling for several moments till it came to a complete stop.

"What's the big deal? Why isn't it working for me?!" questioned Swordfighter.

"There's no need to fret, Swordfighter" Said the lord. "Some people just take longer to learn. That's all. You just need more practice."

"Yeah, practice. That's what I need." The sword wielder said to himself. "Alright let's do this again. Perhaps third times the charm?"

* * *

 _15 minutes later_

Swordfighter had been attempting to activate his force-field but to no avail. Being continuously hit with the yellow ball-time after time again. Despite the continuous failures, he refused to stop; the sword wielder wasn't the type to give up. The fighter kept his wits throughout the humiliation, not stopping until he mastered the art of shielding.

 _Or he would've if Marth hadn't stop throwing the ball, tossing it to wooden chest-locking it with a golden key._

"What are you doing?" the blond questioned the prince "We're not done yet, I still need to create a force-field."

Marth put the key in his pocket, after he was done locking up, he faced the impatient sword wielder "Sword. We have been training for quite a while. It's time to take a break."

"Take a Break?! No way! Need to complete my training, I almost got it."

"Well you have 'gotten' this for fifteen minutes straight." Panned the swordsman. "It's time to rest, we could work on this later."

"But-"

"Swordfighter, you will learn to create shields eventually. I promise. It's not going to run away; but for now we need to relax. We can try this again next time."

"I-…But-…*sigh*…fine." Pouted Swordfighter, folding his arms in disappointed.

"Trust me. I know how it feels to fail, but I assure you. You will get better. Failure is the best teacher after all."

"Whatever you say Marth." The blonde said enthusiastically.

"Don't be so down, Sword." Consoled the blue haired prince. "Maybe next time we could include Snake for training, I'm sure he would be happy to help you perfect your techniques." Sounds of heavy footsteps came from the gym entrance, Marth turned his head towards the door; his mouth curling into a smile. "Well speak of the devil."

"Hello Marth." The solider greeted the lord, He rotated his head to meet the eyes of the trio "Sword, Brawler, Gunner. All's going well with training I presume?"

"Hi Snake." Said the blue haired man "We're learning how to generate shields, Gunner and Brawler succeeded in their task; but Swordfighter however, is struggling."

"Yeah he is absolutely terrible at it." Snide the fist-fighter.

"Oh shut up you!" Shouted the blond.

Snake gave a slight smile, before hiding it with a deadpanned look. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I'm trying my best but it's not working." said the blue fighter as he dusted his shirt from the dust.

"Well Sword, you need to keep at it. If you tried but failed; get back up and do it again. Eventually, you'll get it. Quitting now will only assure that you'll never learn it." Said Snake.

"I know that." Replied the sword wielder. "It's just difficult you know? I just need to find a way to understand it."

"And I'm sure you'll find a way, just need to find. That's all."

"So Snake, what brings you to the gym? Came here for a little exercise have we?" said the prince.

"No." replied the serviceman, his voice becoming very hoarse. "Lucario wanted me to check on how you guys are progressing with training."

"Well are doing quite fine Mr. Snake. We're breezing through this with flying color." Said the shooter before looking at Swordfighter. "Well…most of us."

"Alright then." Said Snake. "I'm going to report back to Lucario, you all just- "Suddenly beeped in his utility belt. The solider took out a small device of some kind, looking at the notification on the screen before his eyes opened wide."

"We got a Newcomer!" Snake shouted to the group.

"A Newcomer?!" Exclaimed Marth.

"Newcomer? What's a newcomer?" questioned Swordfighter, becoming worried with how the two are reacting.

If Snake heard his question, he didn't show it. The solider put the machine back in his belt before heading towards the exit. He open it with a sense of urgency before gesturing the rest to follow suit. "We need to go to the control room. Come on!"

The group followed snake, they went through a combination of hallways and corridors before stopping at a set of metallic double doors. The solider pushed them open, inviting everyone inside.

The room was massive in size; no doubt the biggest place in the mansion. There were rows of seats on the backside of the area; they were structured like the desk in a college classroom; the chairs set from down to up-like a pyramid.

A large monitor was built into the wall; showing data and pictures that the trio couldn't possibly comprehend. Lastly, there was a robot hooked up to a set of monitors, paying attention to all of the screens; this was the same robot that participated in chasing the fighter one week ago.

"R.O.B!" shouted Marth, dashing to the robot's side "Is it true? Have we found a newcomer?"

"[That is indeed correct!]" Said the robot, plugging some inputs on the keyboard "[I have located the Smasher, he is right here]" The screen showed a map of the WOT; a red dot glowed on the chart, pin-pointing to a large landmass in the middle of the ocean.

"You know what this means right?" Snake said to Marth and R.O.B:

"[Yes. This is the beginning of another Newcoming.]" The robot said, looking back at the solider.

"Wait! Hold on just a minute!" yelled the fist-fighter. The residents that were cramped together watching the monitor, turned back towards Brawler in surprise. "What the hell are you guys talking about? What is a Newcoming?" said Brawler, pointing to the map.

"Oh right, I forgot your guys are still new here." The prince said rubbing the back of his head. "Alright. I told you once that this land can create new Smashers correct?"

"Yeah, so" replied Brawler.

"Well we never explained how it actually works. Let me explain, every now and again this world enters a period where it creates a certain amount of fighters; bringing them into existence one at a time. We call this phenomenon: _The Newcoming._ " Answered Marth.

" _Newcomers"_ said the prince. "Are Smashers that have been born in the most recent Newcoming, Are materialized somewhere in this realm. It's our job to find these Newcomers and bring them back here."

"But how are you going to find them." Questioned Gunner. "The World of Trophies is a big place, it'll be impossible to know where they are."

"[That's not an issue, we can track them all the way from here.]" Said R.O.B.

"You can track them?" Swordfighter said with surprise.

"Yes. When a new Smasher is created, they leave a massive energy signature that can be picked up from miles. We created a machine that can pick up these signal; leading us the way the Newcomer. Pretty neat huh." Said the solider.

"So you can track Newcomers where ever they are? Even when they're moving?" The fist-fighter asked Snake."

"Yep."

"So where's the Smasher now?" asked the blue fighter.

"[The Newcomer has been located within Techma Fields; valley that is not far from here, I estimate arrival time would be approximately 30 minutes.]"

"So you guys are going out to rescue this Smasher." Swordfighter said the bearded man.

"Yes. We will be ready to leave very shortly." The solider replied to the sword wielder, his voice booming with confidence.

"Okay, we'll get our stuff. We all be ready to leave when-"

"Now hold on there." Said Snake, interrupting the fighter. "I didn't say you were coming with us."

"What?! Why not!" demanded the blonde, becoming visibly upset.

"Because you're not ready. The three of you had literally been born a week ago. You're still new to this world." Answered the Serviceman. "This is a job for well-trained veterans; you're still amateurs in the art of fighting. Maybe when you get better in the techniques of Smash you can come join but for now it's a 'no'."

"Actually, it may not be such a bad idea." Said the Prince, getting attention from the bearded solider.

"Marth, you can't be serious."

"Snake I know how it sounds, but it could be beneficial. If they had more hand-on experience they might progress faster in training; maybe even help them unlock powers hidden deep inside them. It's worth a try."

"No, it's too dangero-"

"They won't be going in alone, they'll be with the search team the entire time. Besides, the three of them are going to Techma Fields-It's a relatively safe place to be going to.

"I don't know."

"They're not helpless Snake, Keep in mind. They put up a good fight when we were chasing them. They will have no trouble fending off for themselves."

"Hmmmm." Hummed Snake, putting a hand to his chin as he was deep in thought "Alright. You can go, but the three of you will have to listen to our instructions. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear Mr. Snake!" said Swordfighter, feeling excited he has been invited to an adventure. "Hey Brawler, Gunner, are you guys ready to go?" The blonde said to his companions.

"Actually Sword, I'm going to sit this one out. I don't feel like I'm ready to head out into the world. I'm going to stay here." Said the shooter.

"Aw, are you sure? You'll be missing out." Said the sword wielder.

"Yep, I'm pretty sure." Answered the girl.

"Yeah I'm with Gunner, I'm not leaving." Said the fist-fighter, folding his arms against his chest. "I don't feel like we should be going this early in our training. We still have much to learn."

"Guess that only leaves me." Swordfighter sighed with disappointment before facing the solider behind him.

"So when are we going?"

"Soon." Said the solider-grabbing a map from the table. "R.O.B. let the volunteers know that we got a newcomer on our hands. I'll take Swordfighter with me towards the airship to warm up our ride."

"[Sounds like a plan.]" Replied R.O.B.

"Aright kid, come with me. There's a space ship that's calling our names." The solider said to the blue fighter.

"Ok!" Nodded the sword wielder, turning his head towards his friends. "I'll be going now guys, wish me luck!"

Gunner waved goodbye whiles Brawler rolled his eyes with mild annoyance.

Swordfighter signaled towards the two, before following Snake out of the room. Closing the door with mild force as they prepared to go on their adventure.

* * *

"Wow, this is so cool!" Exclaimed Swordfighter, pressing his face against the window; gazing his eyes towards the sea, far out as the eye can see.

A small group of smashers had went aboard the ship, flying to their destination. There was only six fighters present on the space vessel: A blond psychic, a midget astronaut, a red plumber, Lucario, Snake, and Swordfighter himself. They had a mission to complete: Find the Newcomer and bring them back to base; the sword wielder has no idea what awaits them on land, but for some reason, he felt very confident they will succeed.

" _Enjoying the view Swordfighter?_ " said the jackal, joining the blue fighter in staring out into the ocean.

"Yep! The scenery is quite beautiful; almost looks like a painting." Said the blond.

" _Indeed it is._ " Chuckled the Lucario, giving the window one last glance before rotating his head at the fighter. " _Hey Sword, have you regained some of your memories?"_

The sword wielder sighed heavily before drooping his head towards the floor. "No. I still don't remember anything of my pervious life. It's really frustrating to not know who I'm really am."

" _I imagine so_." Console the Lucario, feeling sympathy for the blond " _You know it's really strange, it's not normal for a smasher to lose their memories after they're born. Amnesia is practically impossible for people like us._ "

"Yet somehow, it actually happened." Huffed Swordfighter. "I just hope this isn't permanent."

" _Don't worry Sword_." The canine put a paw over his shoulder " _We'll do everything in our power to help you and your friends in any way we can. Don't give up just yet._ "

The blond smiled weakly at the blue-furred Smasher "Thanks Lucario, I appreciate it."

" _Don't mention it_." The canine said to sword wielder. The jackal looked back at the corridor he came through, hearing muffled voices behind the steel door.

" _I think it's time to meet up with the others back in the cockpit._ "

"Alright, lead the way."

The two of them went through the passageway, reaching to the other end of the hall. The creature open the door with a paw; allowing them entrance into the flight deck.

"So what's the plan when we a arrive at our destination" Questioned the plumber, his voice very thick with an Italian accent.

"Same thing we always do Mario." Said the solider, rearranging the parts of his pistol. "Get in, get the Newcomer, and get out. It'll be the same like any other rescue mission."

Snake turned his head in the direction of the astronaut piloting the ship. "Olimar, how close are we to the valley?"

"Almost there." Said the spaceman; not moving his head to talk to Snake "We should arrive there any second now."

"Okay. Lucas, do we have all the supplies we need for the trip?" The bearded man said to the child.

"Everything's been packed Mr. Snake." said the blond, peeking into the large tan bag.

"Good." Muttered the solider, he put his complete gun back at his holster; pulling out a cigarette for a smoke "Now we have everything we need to explore the outback of Techma Fields."

"What is Techma Fields?" piped Swordfighter, pouring out a cup of water from a water cooler in the corner of the room."

"Ah Sword, I didn't hear you come in." Snake said before taking a deep breathe from his cigarette, puffing out a deep cloud of smoke. "We are heading towards Techma Fields; a valley full of a wide assortment of flowers. The plants there are much more exotic than the ones back home, so be mindful when coming in contact with the greenery.

"So we're essentially going to a flower garden? Doesn't seem too dangerous." Spoke Sword, sipping the cold water from his mug with satisfaction.

"Oh but it is." Said Lucas whiles he zipped up the bag. "That place is filled with _Buzzards_. They are very vicious and scary."

"Buzzards?" Swordfighter said in confusion.

" _He's talking about the killer bee's that are native to Techma Fields."_ Lucario answered to the blond.

"What's so deadly about a couple of bees?"

"These are not ordinary bees" said Mario "These a insects are the size of a fully grown human, they're body made of a metal and oil; but that's not the worst a part; what's worse is that they have the ability to shoot missiles from their a stingers."

"MISSILES!?" cried the sword wielder.

"Yes you heard him right, missiles." Snake said, sitting comfy into a recliner. "This is why I was adamant about bring you along with us; there are too many dangers in this world for the average Smasher to handle. I didn't think you're ready for this mission-and still don't. If you want to bail, you can just wait in the ship till we come back. We won't blame you, if you choose to do so."

The blond fighter recomposed himself, now wanting to appear as a coward in front of his peers. "Its fine, I can handle it; was just a bit surprised is all."

"Whatever you say sword." The solider said to Swordfighter, not believing the sword wielder at all."

"Gentleman, we have arrived at our destination!" shouted Olimar. "We'll be landing in ten minutes, so I suggest you get ready!"

"You heard the spaceman. Let's go." Said Snake.

The group gathered their supplies from the corner of the cockpit. They headed out the door except the astronaut. Who gripped the wheel with his tiny hands; focusing very intently out the window.

* * *

The ship landed on the hard soil, shaking the surrounding area with a mild force before coming to a straight stop. The door opened to the cold breeze, an escalator extended from the hull of the ship, connecting to the door and the dry dark soil.

The Smashers went down the steps; placing their feet on the ground. They all began to take some supplies out of the bag except Swordfighter; who was observing the environment-taking in every detail he could find.

They were in a field of green grass, the flowers that covered the valley were the size of trash cans, shining brightly based on the color of their petal; but that wasn't the weirdest part.

The weirdest part was the fact that it was completely dark outside, he looked up into the sky to see the moon glowing brightly with a white hue; instead of the sun that warmed up their bodies a couple moments ago.

"Why is it midnight?" Swordfighter said to his fellow Smashers. "It was morning when we left, but now it's dark out here. What's up with that?"

" _The valley is enchanted._ " Said the Lucario; observing the map that Snake handed to him on the ship. " _Makes it so that it always appears dark, whether it's day or night._ "

"How does that work?"

" _Don't know; despite living here for many years, we have yet to understand the true nature of this realm._ " The canine turned towards Snake and said "So which direction should we take?"

According to the device, the signal is coming from somewhere north."

"Alright then, we should get a moving. We're losing daylight." Piped the plumber.

"But isn't it already dark outside." Said Lucas

"Yeah but…well…*sigh*" Sighed Mario. "You know what I meant. Let's just a go."

 _The six Smashers went along the trail they continued on the path for 15 minutes. Walking along the giant flowers as they talked amongst themselves._

"Hey Lucario, can I ask you a question?" Asked the sword wielder.

" _Sure, what is it_?" said the blue furred canine.

"You have a machine that can track Newcomers anywhere in the world right?"

" _Yes, we do. However the energy that is emitted from the Newcomer slowly fades over time. Eventually the fighter would stop putting off signals for the tracker to pick up."_

"Okay, well me and my friends were "born" about a week ago, wouldn't you guys know beforehand that we were coming over to the mansion from the tracking machine you keep inside your basement?"

" _Yeah that's the thing._ " said the creature, rubbing the back of his head. " _The three of you didn't show up on the monitor._ "

"We didn't show up?!" exclaimed Swordfighter, being shocked by this new found information. "How?"

" _I'm still trying to figure that out. We're working on the theory that was a glitch in a system. Which might explain why you didn't appear on the map."_ Replied the jackal.

"Do you think it's possible it bugged out?"

" _It's all we have to go on so far._ "

"Hopefully that's the case." Said Sword, feeling quite unsettle at what this possibly means. "I just wish it doesn't turn out that something wrong with me and-"

"Stop!" Said the solider leading the group putting a hand behind towards his teammates.

"What's a wrong Snake?" Asked the plumber.

The man stood silently, listening closely to the sounds around him. He stayed like that for several seconds when his eyes opened wide in alarm.

"Something's coming, Hide!" hissed Snake.

"Hide?! Bu-But where do we-" Whispered the sword wielder before being interrupted. "The Grass. Get into Cover!" Snake pointed to the one of the tall patches of grass next to him, swaying weakly in the wind.

The Smashers scrambled to hide within the tall long blades of greenery. They stayed put, hoping to get a peek at the creature.

 _ **They got their wish.**_

A large insectoid-like creature was flying through the air, landing on top on one of the flower buds. This animals appeared to look like a bee of sorts: its exoskeleton was made of metal-with lines of chipped yellow paint marked on right on the surface of its abdomen. The eyes were glowing orange; projecting a beam of colored light straight out of its head-like a built in search light looking for pray. Its wings were made of pure electricity, sparking with fury in the dead off the night. The most bizarre part was the stinger: instead of a needle, there was a large cannon of sorts. This "cannon" was cylindrical in nature-its material seemingly made of a rock-like substance.

This must be the monster that Mario described earlier.

"Is that a Buzzard?" the sword wielder said quietly, looking at the winged beast.

"Yeah, that's one of them." The astronaut whispered to the blond. "They're usually out harvesting food this time of day; but as long as we don't disturb them we should be fine."

The Buzzard was positioning itself over the flower; the petals opening up by itself, exposing the inside of the flower. When it opened up, sparks erupted from the stigma; brushing harmlessly against the bee.

The insect plunged its "Stinger" right into the flower; absorbing the sparks into its cannon by some unknown force.

"What's it doing?" questioned the blue fighter.

" _Seems to be harvesting the fireworks from the flower."_ Answered the jackal.

"Fireworks?! What the heck is-"

"We'll explain later, just stay quiet." hushed Snake, readying his pistol in hand in case they were spotted.

The bug kept collecting the energy from the plant, as it absorbed the colors of the petals began to dim. When the Buzzard finished collecting the sparks, the flower was faded to a dull gray.

Feeling satisfied, the bee flew away, shrinking into the distance as its light shined brightly into the night.

When the coast was clear. The group moved out of the grass; continuing on the dirt path.

"Would someone tell me what just happened just now?" said Swordfighter.

" _Yes, an explanation is in order._ " Said the jackal out loud, he stopped in his tracks; gesturing to one of the many flowers that grew on the side of the road. " _You see these flowers?_ "

"Yeah I see them."

" _These flowers are not like other flowers. These plants contain a large amount of pyrotechnic energy in their ovules. If they are disturbed in anyway, the flower will expel the energy; launching fireworks into the air."_

Lucario walked over to one of the flowers _. "Observe."_ He said as the canine pressed his paw against the plant.

Like he described, a firework shot out of the stigma. The projectile soared into the sky; exploding in sparks of red and gold.

"WOAH!" Shouted Sword, being very excited from the display.

" _This energy is a valuable food source for the Buzzards, they harvest it from the flowers; providing a sustainable supply for their stomachs and stingers._ "

"Wow, that-…that's amazing!" The sword wielder said, admiring the sparkling debris lingering in the night sky.

" _It sure is; maybe when we get back to base, I can give you a closer look into these fine specimens."_

"You have these flowers at the mansion?!"

" _Indeed we do, they're usually kept in the greenhouse. We use them on special occasions for-"_

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

A series of loud explosions caught the attention of the Smashers, looking over in the distance they can see a barrage of fireworks blasting off in the distance; creating a marvelous grand finale.

"What's a happening over there!?" Cried Mario.

" _Something is disturbing the flowers; setting them off._ " Answered Lucario.

"What could be disturbing the plants?" said Swordfighter.

"Perhaps it's the Newcomer!" the young boy declared.

" _It's a possibility_." Replied the jackal " _Snake where is the signal coming from?_ "

Snake looked back at the device in his hand. "It's coming from over there!" the solider pointed to the display of fireworks.

"Well let's go!" shouted Olimar. "There's a Newcomer that's our help!"

The six fighters sprinted towards the explosions, leaving a variety of footprints in the cold dirt.

* * *

The Smashers came to the source of the exploding fireworks. They came upon an entire patch filled with the sparkling flowers. In the middle of the field, was a boy. A boy with brown hair, big eyes, and a red shirt with the number 1 on it.

The child was frolicking through the parcel of flowers, tapping them as he skipped; releasing missiles of sparks into the sky.

" _That must be our Newcomer!"_ Lucario said to the rest of his team, he turned his body to the boy; calling out him to get his attention. " _Little boy! Oh little boy!_ "

The Newcomer turned his head towards the group as he activated another flower. Projecting another firework into the sky. Unbeknownst to all of them, the missile hit with pin point accuracy into a swarm.

 _ **A swarm of Buzzards.**_

The rescue team ran to the kid, Olimar stepped away from of the group-kneeling in front of the child. Panting from running all the way here.

*Pant* *Pant* "That was exhausting! I need more exercise." Said the astronaut, he looked of the Newcomer; A joyful smile plastered on his face.

"Oh hello over there!" said the boy, waving to the Smashers. "My name is Villager! It's nice to meet you." said the child as he shook the astronaut's hand. "What's your name?"

"My name is Captain Olimar, and these are my friends." Said the spaceman, gesturing to the group behind him. "And we're here to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" chuckled Villager. "Rescue me from what? There's nothing here but the pretty flowers that are all around us." Said the boy, twirling around in the long grass.

' _Yep, Brawler would absolutely loathe this kid'_ thought Swordfighter.

"I've been playing around in it for a while; it's pretty fun. Want to join me?"

Snake was the one to speak, clearing out his throat as he began to speak "Yeah as fun as that sounds, it's not a good idea. It's dangerous to stay out here."

"Dangerous?" Questioned Villager; stopping his skipping. The boy turned towards the group, the smile he had worn earlier had morphed into a confused frown. "Why is it so dangerous to stay out here?"

"Because there are monsters running around!" Piped Lucas, looking around him for potential predators. "WHAT?!" the child was in shock; his face turned white as he began to shake. "Monsters exist?!"

"It's a long story." said Mario "We'll explain a later, but know we have to get out of here before we're a spotted!"

"Too late." Spoke the solider, looking up into the sky.

"Too late?" The Italian replied, facing towards Snake. "What are you-…OH MAMA MIA!"

A swarm of killer bees were descending upon them, aiming their "stingers" right at the smashers.

" _Oh Arceus! Every get in positions. Protect the Newcomer."_ Ordered Lucario. The fighters formed a rings around Villager; blocking the boy from harm.

"You heard the canine." Shouted Snake, pulling out his gun from his holster. "They won't let us go without a fight! Give it all you got!'

Some of the Buzzards were charging their cannons, aiming straight at the trophies.

"GO" Yelled snake. Firing off the first shot.

* * *

 _ **Here's the end of the chapter.**_

 _ **I added a bit of my own creation into this. Techma Fields and the Buzzards, are original creations in the fanfiction. And I plan to add many original things as I write this story.**_

 ** _If you want to leave a comment on how this story can improve or suggesting story material for future chapters. Then go right ahead. Type to your heart's content._**

 ** _Till next time._**


	8. Chapter 8: Boss Battle: The Queen

**Chapter 8: Boss Battle: The Queen**

The bullet was propelled out of the gun, it seemed to fly slowly through the air-as if time itself has slowed down; until everything sped up, blasting a Buzzard's head off. It stopped moving its wings. Hitting the ground with a loud crash. The bee's that were charging their canons finally open fired; launching rockets of explosive fireworks right at the Smashers.

" _MISSILES INCOMING!"_ Lucario telepathically shouted in their minds. " _EVERYONE DODGE!"_ All the fighters scrambled to get out of the line of fire. The solider grabbed Village from the collar; saving him just in time as sparkling projectiles hit the ground.

Some of the insects, seeing their group attack miss; flew straight towards the trophies; their electric stingers protruding out. Two of the bees parted from the swarm, going after the nearest targets: _Lucas and Olimar._

The first one pierced the boy, zapping him couple of feet away. "LUCAS!" Shouted the spaceman before turning his attention to the pest. He put both his hands far part on the field, suddenly, colored plant stems sprouted from the ground. One white. One yellow. The astronaut pulled on the roots, plucking out two small plant-like creatures-corresponding with the color of their stems.

The Buzzard charged towards Olimar, its wings buzzing with excitement. He rolled out of the way of its spark needle, throwing the white creature in his right hand at the enemy. When the thing latched on the bug, it began to hit the Buzzard with its head; poisoning the flying insect.

The bee was intense distress, the poison making it hard to comprehend what's going on. The Buzzard thrashed its electric wings hysterically, hoping to hit its prey. The spaceman proved too evasive of the bug to handle however; avoiding all of the insect's attacks.

He faced the back of his attacker, hitting the back of its abdomen with the yellow plant creature, shocking the pest with 120 volts of pure electricity. The Buzzard screeched in agony as it collapsed to the floor, its muscles twitching as it looked up to the astronaut in fear.

Olimar put his hand on the dirt once again, spawning another stem from the ground. He plucked again to reveal a purple creature grasped between his fingers, the plant-like entity feeling quite heavy in his arm.

He raised both his hand behind him, slamming the Bee's head with the purple animal, caving the insect's skull right in; pools of oil sinking into the soil and staining the grass.

Olimar was so busy with his attacker that he didn't notice the second Buzzard sneak up on him. The bug was prepared to thrust it's stinger into the spaceman's back when out of nowhere…

"PK FREEZE!"

A large snowflake charged with psychic energy struck the bee; encasing the insect ice. The astronaut turned around to see the frozen pest float in the air for a couple of seconds before it shattered on the ground. Scattering frosty metal and black ice (Petroleum) everywhere.

He looked in the direction of the voice to see Lucas do a slight wave to him; giving a thumbs up as to say 'I'm okay' Olimar smiled and copied the gesture, raising his own thumb to say 'alright, good job!'

They heard more Buzzards flying their way, they gave each other a nod before they charged towards the bees together.

* * *

The jackal, solider, sword wielder, and child were fending for themselves against the flying pest. Lucario and Snake fired their own projectiles: A sphere of aura and missile from a rocket launcher at the insects. Both hitting their respective target.

The ball of life force weakened the swarm; the aura draining the energy of out them, whiles the rocket blew a good chunk of them-propelling the rest away several feet from the explosion.

"WOOO!" shouted Swordfighter, doing a fist pump close to his chest "You guys are killing it! These bugs are no match for us!"

"Don't get too cocky kid." Said Snake, reloading another rocket in his missile launcher. "It's unwise to underestimate your enemy when the fight has just begun."

"Underestimate?! We are absolutely destroying them!" fired back the blond. "I doubt they can bounce back from this."

" _Snake's right Sword."_ Spoke the animal, forming another Aura sphere in his paws " _Even though it appears that we are 'destroying them', these bees may have a trick or two up their sleeve. After all, the tables can be turned around in an instant with the right moves. I just hope we don't encounter their-"_

As if god's listened and decided it be fun to punish them. Dropped a large Buzzard-right in between the 4 fighters. This was no ordinary Buzzard though, this Buzzard had a big frame than the other bees; its eyes glowed pink whiles a halo made of yellow sparks hovered above the insect's head.

Lastly was the abdomen. It was massive in size, but that was not the only thing strange about it; Instead of it being made of metal, it was constructed by an unknown material; its texture was dandelion in color and very translucent. Looking into the abdomen, a series of continuous self-contained firework explosions were erupting inside of the creature. The bangs from the endless finales became muffed to irregular pops with its backside.

 _ **Yep there's no denying it. This is the-**_

" _Queen."_ Muttered Lucario, being slightly stunned. The Queen Buzzard Roared with anger; having her servants killed by the fighters. It began to move towards the solider and canine, blood-lust filling her heart. She was about to attack when a pellet hit the back of her head.

The bee turned around to see the boy and the sword wielder; the former carried a slingshot, who sheepishly smiled as he hid his weapon behind his back. The queen, in retaliation, swung her sparkling wings at the duo; sending them back with an electric jolt.

They crashed into Mario (who was deflecting the projectiles with his cape); forming a dogpile on the wet grass. The Queen was taunting by blinking the green lights of her antenna, as the insect marched over to them to tear them apart.

Lucario and Snake attempted to run over to their downed comrades but were stopped when more Buzzards blocked their path; surrounding them with electric stingers pointing right at them.

" _They won't let us pass without a fight!"_ Lucario said to his bearded friend.

"Than fight we shall!" replied Snake, pulling out his SOCOM. "Give it you're all!"

The duo began to fight with a combination of lively aura, and deadly grenades. Despite being outnumbered, the fighter were standing their ground, the two sides being evenly matched.

As they fought, fireworks from the flowers shot up into the sky; creating vibrant colors as the sparks drifted to the battle down below.

* * *

As the three of them disentangled themselves from the pile, Mario picked up his red hat, putting it on his head. "Swordfighter! Villager! Why did you a tackle Mario? We're on the same a side." The plumber said with an irritated Italian accent.

"Sorry Mr. Red Plumber sir, we didn't mean to!" Villager said defensively. We were knocked back by the queen bee!"

"Queen Bee?" Mario said with the confusion before turning his head towards the sound of an electric buzzing. The queen was slowly marching towards them, crushing the flowers as went.

"Oh dear a god!" exclaimed the mustached man; igniting a fireball in his gloves "Come on you two, we got a monster bee to defeat!"

"But it's too big!" Argued the boy, "We no match for it!"

"Don't kid yourself kid!" Replied Mario, forming another fireball in his hand. "We defeated a beasts the sizes of buildings! A royal bee's not going to a change that! We can do this!"

The plumber discharged a barrage of bouncing flaming spheres against the metal insect; all which did zero damage against the giant pest-it didn't even flinch. "Or maybe a not." The Italian said aloud to himself, sweat dripping down his forehead.

The queen turned around, exposing it's stinger to the fighters. The abdomen vibrated for several seconds before shooting a red firework at the group. The missile hit the mustached man; launching him in the air.

"AAAIIIIIIIEEEEEE!" Yelled Mario, as he landed into a bush- _riddle with thorns._

Villager and Swordfighter looked over to the shrub before rotating their bodies to the monstrous bee; both gulping loudly as their blood ran cold from fear. The queen began to fly towards the two fighters; shaking the ground as she landed on the dirt in front of them.

Swordfighter out of panic slashed at the queen's exposed legs; causing her to howl with pain. The bee flew up a couple feet before spiraling down on the blue fighter; sparkling stinger out with full force. ' _No I can't go out like this, it's not fair. No wait No!'_ Thought Swordfighter; bringing his hands in front of his face to protect himself.

But to his surprise, he didn't feel the queen's stinger pierce his body. The sword wielder opened his eyes to see a red bubble that encapsulated his entire body; keeping the queen's piercer at bay, ' _I'm…I'm doing it!'_ Sword thought ecstatically ' _I created a shield at last! There's nothing that can stop me-wait why is shrinking?'_

The shield he create began to implode from the sheer force of the Queen; the bubble growing smaller and smaller till it only covered his waist. "This can't be happening!" he looked over to Village, his mouth agape at the scene taking place before his very eye's

"VILLAGER! PLEASE! DO SOMETHING-" Was all the sword wielder said before his shield finally broke. Putting the blond fighter in a dazed state. ' _What's going on? What's happening to me?!'_ Swordfighter's vision was very blurry, the image in front of him was rotating around like a pinwheel; the colors fading in an out; and the picture of multiple bee's spinning in front of his eyes.

The Queen laughed as she blinked her antennas, the halo hovering above her head as it began to move; capturing the fighter by the throat. He struggled to breathe as he and the bee were lifted up into the air.

"Mr. Swordfighter, NO!" cried Villager as he extended a hand towards his protector; feeling that the boy could grab him if he tried real hard. The child was distracted when he heard buzzing behind him.

Villager turned around to see two Buzzards land on the ground, slowly approaching him with their stingers out. "Uh…Nice bees?" said the child, trying to appeal the bee's better nature. Both of the insects scoffed with anger as they to come closer; cornering the boy in a patch of large flowers.

"Please! You don't have to do this! Can we all get along! No! Get away! GET AWAY!" screamed Villager as the bees began to fly towards him with their stingers poking out. The Smasher, in his fright bumped into one of the flowers; sending a well time firework into the path of the Buzzards-obliterating them to pieces.

The trophy blinked a couple of times before turning his attention towards the plant. "You saved my life!" the child said to flower, as if it was a living person. "If it wasn't for I'd be dead!"

" _HOLD ON SWORD! WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU!"_ All of a sudden, the trophy heard a voice in his head. He looked over to the side to see the rest of the Smashers; scrambling around in the dirt to save their friend; the blond being put in a choke hold as he frantically tried to get the halo off.

"Sword! He's in danger! I got to help him! But how?" As he thought of a plan to rescue his friend, he accidently elbowed to flower sending another firework into the sky.

He looked towards the plant. Then the bee. Then lastly at the flower again. A smile began to form on the corners of his mouth as Villager said "This seems crazy, but it just might work!" He pulled out an ax, he winded it up behind him; the metal shining in the bright moonlight before taking a good hard whack at the plant.

* * *

"This is useless, our attacks aren't doing anything!" Shouted Snake. The queen was being barrage with a wide assortment of: fire balls, aura spheres, missiles, psychic snowflakes, and Pikmin; but it proved fruitless as the bee's armor was too durable to get damaged.

Swordfighter vision was fading in and out, no matter how hard he pulled and tugged at the infernal collar-It wouldn't budge off his throat. The queen was staring right into his soul, clenching hard to snuff the life out of her prey. Swordfight was just about to pass out when-

*SHWOOUUPP*

A firework exploded in the bee's abdomen; the bee suddenly screeching in pain. She let go of his grip of Swordfighter, having him drop down from the sky. Before he can hit the floor, Lucario leapt into the air; catching the falling fighter with ease.

" _Sword! Are you alright?!"_ The jackal said to the Smasher in concern.

Swordfighter was coughing, massaging his throat to ease himself of the intense agony. "My lungs feel like they're on fire, but I'm okay. I can still fight!" The fighter said to his teammate; his voice sounding quite raspy from the pressure of the halo.

The Queen roared with anger, she was aiming her canon to shoot at the heroes when another firework hit her abdomen again. She fainted from the stress; crash landing into a pile of flowers.

Everyone was surprised to see the insect go down, looking to the source of the projectiles, they saw Villager hold one of the flowers in his arms, sparks slightly fading from the stigma.

"Villager, Was that you?!" Questioned the space captain. The boy nodded. "Yep, that was me." Chuckled the child. "Who knew that a bit of _**flower power**_ _,_ would be enough to save the day!"

A swarm of Buzzards began to encircle the Smashers, preparing to take them down. "Oh a crap!" said the plumber. "Everyone grab a flower now!" All the Smashers (With the exception of Villager.) Pulled the nearest flower to them. Uprooting the plants from the ground.

"Okie dokie! Now aim!" the trophies were pointing their flowers at the encroaching swarm. "FIRE!" yelled the voice of Mario, which was soon followed by the sound of many fireworks firing off at once.

The bees were dropping like flies, oil staining the beauty of the garden with its ugly blackness. They didn't stop until they were down to last bug, with the finally one trying to flee until it was obliterated.

The fighters realizing they took down all the bees, relaxed and see their flowery weapons onto the ground. "Man that was so…so…" said Swordfighter

"Extreme?" answered Lucas

"Yeah." Replied Sword. "Something along those line."

"I agree." The Italian spoke with agreement, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It took a lot of will, but we defeated them with nothing but our wits. Now that we defeated a all of them, we can finally a head-"

*BZZZZTTT*

They picked up their weapons as they turned around to see that the queen has gotten back up from her fall. _More enraged than ever._

"We still got the queen to deal with! I handle it!" Swordfighter fired a sparking missile right in the bee's face. It didn't damage the insect at all, instead it buzzed with more rage as she aimed her cannon at the fighters.

"I think you pissed it off." Snide Snake, still keeping his flower trained on the monster. The insect's abdomen began to twitch and bulge, the fireworks inside of her getting more bright and louder by the second.

" _It's preparing a powerful attack!"_ The canine telepathically shouted to his comrades as the bee continued to charge. "What should we do?" said Swordfighter, 'I hit her in the face but it did nothing! Didn't she evolve her weak point?"

"More like didn't target her weak point." The solider said to himself aloud; staring at her translucent belly.

"Snake, what do you mean?" Olimar said to Snake, becoming very confused.

The queen's abdomen expanded to its limit, the pyrotechnic energy ready to be discharged from her stomach.

"No time to explain!" Said the bearded man "Shoot at the abdomen! The yellow thing! NOW!"

All seven Smasher fired the last of their flower's energy at her weak point. She began to screech and holler in pain as the area began to glow. Blinding the world in a mass of color.

* * *

Jigglypuff, Ganondorf, Pokémon Trainer, and Falco were playing a simple board game; a pile of coins from each of the Smashers were placed in the middle of the cardboard square shining in light of the sun.

"Why are we gambling money over a stupid game like _**Sugarland**_ _?_ " Said the blue bird, resting his hand on his cheek in boredom. "Well Falco. This is the best we can do." Grunted the green man. "Perhaps if somebody didn't let their orange dinosaur burn all the playing cards we'd be settling this over poker right now." Complained Ganon, narrowing his eyes at the trainer. "He didn't mean to set fire to the playing table; and for the record, he's a dragon." Said P.T., Defending his trained Pokémon.

"Whatever." said Ganondorf; rolling his eyes. He turned to the pink animal; drinking a nice cold glass of lemonade. "Jigglypuff it's your turn."

The balloon Pokémon, put down the cup; doing a slight bounce in the air saying the word "Jiggly!" as she grabbed the pair of dice with her arms; shaking the plastic cubes a couple of times before dropping it on the board.

 _ **12**_

"Oh!" said Trainer, being slightly amused with roll. "Your character gets to move 12 spaces; and because of the fact you got a double, you get to go again!"

"Puff!"

Jiggly moved her character exactly around the board; when she was done moving her piece, she picked up small cubes again-rolling it on the board.

 _ **12**_

"ANOTHER 12!?" Shouted the caped man in surprise as she began to move her piece.

"If she gets another 12 she'll get the jackpot, we got to stop her gu-" was all the avian said before he was interrupted by the sounds of dice being tossed against cardboard.

 _ **12**_

"WHAT?!"

"HOW?!"

"THAT'S TOTAL BULLCRAP!"

Yelled the voices in outrage as Jigglypuff reached to the finish line; raking in the coins with a smug grin.

"JIGGLYPUFF!" Boomed the pink animal as she danced around her winnings. "There is no way you could've gotten 12 three times in a row!" accused Falco, pointing a feathered finger at the round creature. "I call foul! A move like that is almost impossible to achieve!"

"Jiggly puff Jigglypuff."

"I'm not a sore loser!"

"Guys, Guys." Said the Trainer, attempting to calm the group down. "She won fair n square; it's just a game. It's not worth screaming or celebrating over."

Right after P.T. was finished speaking; an explosion of fireworks erupted in the distance, creating the most fantastic finale they ever seen. The four of them stared at the colorful sparks for several moments before turning their heads back to Jigglypuff, whose smile was growing smugger by the second.

"Oh shut up you!" said the bird, his eye lids twitching with indescribable anger.

* * *

After the finale was over, the Smashers open their eyes and unplugged their ears; observing the land to be void of the bees they fought earlier. "Is it over?" questioned Lucas. "Is the monster dead?"

 _The queens disembodied head landed in front of them, embedding itself into the earth. Its eyes flashed pink for what seemed like eternity before fading out forever._

"Yeah I think it's a dead." piped the plumber, rising up from the ground.

"Well let's not stick around to find out." Said Olimar, dusting the dirt from his suit "We'd accomplished our mission to rescue the Newcomer, there's no reason to stay here any longer. It's time to head home."

"I agree with the spaceman." The solider replied with agreement, looking at his device to memorize the directions back to the ship. "Who knows what's lurking in this field at the time of day. The last thing we need is another battle on our hands."

 _Everyone nodded as the group decided to head back to Olimar's spaceship. They flew from Techma Fields all the way to the Smash Mansion, where they were briefing Villager all about the nature of the WOT._

"So let me get this straight. I'm in a realm that's separated from reality; created by a flying hand?"

"Yep!"

"And that a cosmic man tried to destroy creation by turning everything that ever existed into nothingness, adding it to his dimension?"

" _That's correct._ "

"And How I'm actually an immortal trophy; cloned from the original me back at my world?"

"That's a right!"

"This is the strangest day I had since…Well last Tuesday." said Villager, taking a bite out of his grilled cheese sandwich. "This is the best birthday ever! I can't wait to tell my friends back home about my adventure!"

All the Smashers in the room except for Villager stayed silent; a solemn expression overtook their faces as the boy scratched his head in confusion.

"What's wrong? Why are you guys so sad all of a sudden?"

"Nope!" said Swordfighter shaking his head "I'm not going stick around. Lucario may I leave the room; I don't want to be a part of this."

" _You can go. I don't blame you for not wanting to break the news. This is the hardest part of rescuing a Newcomer; telling them the truth. Just wait outside."_

The sword wielder left the room, closing the door as the boy stared at him with a perplexed look on his face.

"Sword!" shouted a voice on right, he turned around to see Gunner and Brawler approach him at walking pace; with the girl giving the blond a strong hug as she wrapping her arms around his back.

"We heard you came back; R.O.B.'s been saying that you rescued someone from a monster! I'm so proud of you!" Said the shooter.

"More like he rescued me." Chuckled the blue fighter. "If only my shield haven't broke I would have-"

"Woah, you created a shield!?" Gunner said with astonishment.

"Yeah. Tried to defend myself from a giant bee but that didn't work out too well." Replied Sword.

"Giant bee?" Brawler raised his an eyebrow in bewilderment.

"It's a long story."

"Ooh!" squealed Gunner "You got to tell us what happened. We've been dying to know."

"Ha Ha, okay. Let me tell you what happened.

* * *

"And then we arrived here; bringing the boy to safety at last."

Gunner's jaw dropped open, her mouth widened with awe as she listed to Sword's story.

"So what happening to the boy now?" Said Brawler, admitting feeling pretty surprised; and jealous from Swordfighter's tale.

Sword sighed, his cheerful attitude turning into a depressed one. "They are telling him the same thing we've been told a week ago; especially the part of no-return."

"Oh my god." The Gunner covered her mouth with both her free hand. "I can't imagine what the poor thing's going through right now."

"Pfft, I'm sure he's fine." Said Brawler, leaning up his back against the wall.

The door began to open slowly, the trio turned to see villager, whose eyes have turned bright red; the trails where his tears had flowed still visible on his face.

"Villager, are you okay?" Sword wielder trying to keep his voice soft as possible as not to upset the poor Smasher.

"I…I…Just leave me alone!" cried the boy, running down the hallway with his hands being pressed up against his face; disappearing into the corridor.

"I take it he didn't treat the news very well." Brawler said plainly to the canine who exited out of the room."

" _You have no idea._ " Spoke the canine, putting his paw against the wall from emotional exhaustion. " _Everything was going well until we mentioned_ _ **'That part.'**_ _That was when he broke down, I tried to comfort him but he left the room in a hurry. I felt his aura. He's in intense emotional anguish, and it's growing ever so more as we speak."_

"We can't allow this to continue." Her eyes beginning to water. "There must be something we can do."

Gunner's right, the longer this goes on; the harder of a toll it will take up upon Villager; But what? What could they possible do to help the poor kid? Swordfighter thought for a moment before a lightbulb turned on in his mind.

"Hey Lucario, didn't Villager mention that today was his birthday?"

" _Yes._ " Said the jackal, his eyes opening at what the blond was implying " _Yes he did._ "

"I think a good old fashion birthday party would be enough to lift up his spirits." Swordfighter replied to the animal; a smile creeping up on his face.

" _I'll call up the rest of the Smashers. In the meantime, why don't one of you check up on him; make sure he's okay."_

"I'll do it" Gunner raised up her hand before chasing after the crying fighter.

" _Sword why don't you prepare the kitchen for baking, I'll be busy with the invitations."_

"Sure thing!" saluted the blond fighter before heading off; leaving the fist-fighter and the aura jackal by themselves.

" _And Brawler_." The red fighter responded to the sound of his name; turning his head towards the blue Pokémon. " _Don't be a dick_." The animal said sternly before slamming the door shut. Locking the door with a loud clank.

The mii blinked a couple of times before crossing his arms "Well screw you too, you mangy mutt."

" _I heard that!"_

Brawler ignore the dog; walking down the hallway, leaving it silent once more.

* * *

 **Here's the 8th chapter. Hoped you enjoy it.**

 **I got a question for you: What do you think would the Smasher's do for Villagers Birthday?**

 **Would they make it a blast, or a bomb?**

 **Leave your answers in the reviews.**

 **till next time!**


	9. Chapter 9: Birthday Blow-up: Part 1

**Hi there, Crystal Brick here**

 **I had some time constraints on this chapter, but I hoped it turned out great.**

 **I'm also taking a fic request by a guy who PM me: basically to recreate the Super Mario Bros. Tv show but with Smash Bros Characters.**

 **I don't know when I'll start this story, perhaps after this arc about the birthday or later. I don't know**

 **I'm pretty swamped as it is with college; having barely enough time to publish these chapters but perhaps sometime down the line i'll be able to do that.**

 **Anyway lets go onto the review:**

 **Hello891011: Young Link and Toon Link are indeed separate characters. I has trying to convey that by referring Young as Elf child and Toon with cartoon eyes.**

 **In fact all the clones like Mario and Dr. Mario, Zero Suit Samus and Samus are indeed their own separate character.**

 **I hope this clears things up.**

 **Anyway back to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Birthday Blow-up: Part 1**

The room was buzzing with chatter and questions; Smashers conversing with one another, asking why they were all called to this place. The door opened slowly; grabbing the attention of all the fighters. It was Snake and Lucario; the former was carrying a clipboard whiles the jackal had a stack of cards and envelopes, which he grasped with both paws with ease.

The trophies piped down when they entered, the canine put his supplies on a nearby table as his friend was checking off boxes on the paper with a red pen. When he set down his load, the Pokemon walked to the center of the room; looking at everyone's faces as he began to clear his throat.

" _I imagine you're wondering why I called you all here today?" Spoke Lucario,_ straightening up his back to be presentable.

"Heck yeah we are!" Shouted an elf with cartoon-like eyes; pouting as he sat on the couch. "Young and I were having a completion on who was the better Link! We were middle of sword fighting when you called us for this meeting. This better be worth it."

" _I assure you Toon, this is indeed worth it"_ The jackal replied, giving a slight nod. " _As you know, we received a Newcomer today: a boy that goes by the name of Villager."_

"You mean the kid with the 1 on his shirt?" said a blue hedgehog, leaning on a chair as he rested his feet on a table "What about him?"

" _He's not doing too well."_ Answered Lucario, rubbing the back of his head, " _When it comes to rescuing Newcomers, it's required to tell that Smasher everything about this world-including the truth about their true nature."_

Every Smasher that was present in the room cringed; knowing where this was going. " _Unsurprisingly Villager didn't handle this news too well. He left the room with tears bawling out of his face."_

"So this is why we're here? Over a kid crying?" said the fat man known as Wario; halting his gorging of a plate of garlic cloves. " _Yes."_ The canine said plainly, keeping his paws at his side.

"Oh for the love of…ugh…you're overreacting Lucario" Said the fatty; popping another clove in his huge mouth. "We've all had learned the secrets of the WOT one way or another. All of us were devastated when we learned that it was impossible to go back home, but we accepted our loss; some took it harder than other, sure, but we moved on. Just give this boy a couple of months to mourn and he'll be fine."

"I wish that were the case but unfortunately it's not so. He won't just 'get over it' like that." The solider spoke as he writing on the clipboard "He was personally attached to the life he built back in his original universe; Lucario here took a good look at him with his _Aura Vision._ Do you know what color his aura was?"

Snake looked away from his paper, observing the faces of his audience; when he got no reply he continued.

" **It was Black**."

"Black?" said an angel; scratching the side of his head in curiosity. "What does that color supposed to represent?"

" _When someone's aura is black: it means the person is harboring intense negative emotions deep inside them; driving them to misery, depression and rage_." The Pokémon spoke, putting his paw over his heart. " _I fear if this continues, Villager will just only go deeper down the rabbit hole. "_

"Oh by the goddesses!" gasped a princess named Zelda "A child should never experience such pain; there must be something we can do to help him!"

" _Actually there might be._ " The Pokémon nodded to Snake; whom returned the gesture right back at the canine. He gave Lucario the clipboard, to after which he walked over towards the table; folding the envelopes with great precision.

" _Swordfighter brought up the idea of setting up a party for the Newcomer, Villager mentioned in the interview that today was his birthday, we'd figured that if we prepared a birthday party for him tonight, it would liven his spirit; taking him out of his depression. Or at the very least cheer him up."_ Said the blue jackal.

"Tonight!?" Shouted the mercenary: Ike. Almost dropping his sword in surprised. "But's it's the afternoon! How are we going to set up a party in that time frame!?"

" _May seem impossible, but if all of us get into high gear right now. We might get it ready before the sun goes down_." Said Lucario, giving a slight smile.

"Alright, so what do we need to get done?" Said ness, twisting the baseball cap on his head with full determination.

" _Well let's see here_ …" Lucario was flipping through the pages; not stopping until he found the page he was looking for. " _Here we go. We have most of the supplies in the basement down below; just needs to be set up."_

"Oh that's great!" exclaimed Lucas "All we need to do is set it up and-"

"That's not the only thing we need to do." Interrupted Snake; finishing half of the envelopes. "There several tasks that need to be completed before we can start the party."

"Which is?" Falco said; leaning against a wall.

"Three things; baking a cake, buying presents, and keeping an eye on the birthday boy." Answered Snake before focusing more on the birthday cards.

"So how are we going to decide who does what?" Questioned the fox.

" _I already solved that issue. I need at least five people for each of the task; the rest will just set up the decorations._ _I even assigned jobs to the Smasher who is best suited for each chore."_ Lucario looked at the paper for a moment before lowering the clipboard away from his snout.

" _Gifts will be Sonic, Zero Suit Samus, Jigglypuff, Bowser and Luigi."_

"Hold on just a minute!" shouted Bowser, "Why am I assigned to gifts?"

" _We need someone to carry the presents."_

"What?! No way! A king like me should not be demeaned to shopping for stupid kiddy presents."

" _Bowser, you're the strongest Smasher in existence, I seen you lift boulders with just one hand. A sack of presents is not a challenge for you. a good pile of gifts would be definitely calm Villager down._ "

"Or you could give the kid a baseball or something; that ought to shut him up."

" _Bowser. You're going to the store._ "

"But-!"

" _Everyone raise your_ _hand_ _if you want Bowser to go shopping."_ said Lucario. Everyone raised their arm at the exact same time; stunning Bowser with shock.

"What!?...I…Oh dammit to hell!" muttered the turtle; feeling very irritated.

" _That settles Team Gift."_ said Lucario before turning to his left. " _Peach, Charizard, R.O.B., Meta knight, And Mr. Game and Watch; you guys will be baking. Try to do the best you can; are you guys up to the challe—wait, where's Peach?"_

When Lucario looked over to the group, the princess was missing; seemingly vanishing out of thin air.

"[She already left whiles you were still talking, pulled out an apron from her dress and ran out the door.]" Said R.O.B., his voice being dull and stereotypically robotic.

" _Really_?" Chuckled the Pokémon " _I suppose you should chase after her then; we'll see you when the cake is done, can't wait how it turns out."_

The 2D man gave a thumbs up before he beeped and blooped at his teammates; Team Cake nodded as they left the room; closing the door behind them.

" _Okay last but not least is to comfort the kid; this team includes: Pikachu, Kirby, Mario, Dr. Mario, Me. We need to make Villager happy as possible; and whiles we're at it, keep him away from the party until its set up. I want it to be a surprise."_

"You can count on a us, Lucario!" shouted the doctor. "We'll cheer him up."

" _Good, good…" said the jackal, before checking off the last box of the list. "The rest of you will set up the decorations in the dining hall; I propose Mewtwo is the leader of this task-His telekinetic powers and his attention to detail we would help out so much."_

"Ugh, setting up the party? That's so boring, I want to do what the others teams are doing. Not this crap." Falco whispered to the psychic Pokémon, who had his eyes closed; listing to the directions at hand."

" _Just suck it up Falco, with me as leader; it shouldn't take long"_ Mewtwo telepathically replied to the avian fighter.

" _Now before all of you leave, I need each of you to grab a card and envelope from the table"_ The Pokémon gestureto the stack of paper on the stand. _"Just write a nice message, put it in the envelope, and give it back to Snake before the party; and take your time,_ _ **don't rush it.**_ "

The Smasher formed a line, taking a card and envelope in hand as they exited the room; doing their part to make this boy happy. Once again.

* * *

Team Cheer-Up-Villager-So-He-Doesn't-Fall-Into-A-Deep-Depression-For-The-Rest-Of-His-Life was walking down a corridor, searching for the crying boy. "So Lucario, how are we going to find a Villager? He could be anywhere in the a mansion." The plumber said to the Pokémon.

" _That won't be a problem, I'm tracking him right now with my Aura Sense"_ replied the Jackal; closing his eyes as he talked. _He's very close by, I can feel it."_

"Okie dokie" said Dr. Mario "We should come up with a plan we meet a Villager. I've been thinking we should tell some a jokes. Laughter is the best medicine after."

"Pika ki Pikachu?" The yellow rat said to the doctor, raising an eyebrow.

"My a funny bone is not a broken!" Dr. Mario said defensively. "I can take a joke!"

"Pik a chu pi?"

"Hey, that a guy was insulting my ma-ma! He deserved that knuckle sandwich!"

" _Guys, knock it off!"_ said the jackal. " _Now's not the time to be bickering, we're here for Villager and nothing else. If we can't find him, we'll look for Gunner. She should know where he is…and speak of the devil."_

The group saw Gunner knocking on a door, pleading to the person inside to let her in. She turned her head towards the Smashers; sighing with relief upon their presence. "Oh thank god you're here!" Exclaimed the shooter. "I need your help!"

" _What's wrong?"_

"It's Villager! I found him, but he locked himself in this room and he won't come out!" Said the female fighter; trying to rotate the knob.

" _Let me try."_ Said the Pokémon as he knocked on the door, getting the attention of the Smasher. "Leave me be!" said Villager; his voice being muffed by the thickness of the walls.

" _Villager, it's me Lucario. I just want to talk."_

"I...I…I'm sorry Lucario but, I need to be alone for a while." Wept the child. "Please! Just go away!"

"What do we do a now?" Mario whispered to the animal; the concern very notice in his tone.

Lucario didn't respond to the Italian immediately, He was focusing his Aura Senses on the boy-searching for anything that might help them out.

" _We need Swordfighter."_

"Swordfighter?" said Gunner in confusion, "Why Swordfighter?"

The jackal faced the shooter, opening his eyes to talk to the girl. " _He desires comfort but he's shunning everyone away. He grieves over his home but I felt something else; Happiness-for meeting the sword wielder."_

"Your'e a saying we have a better chance of doing a this if we have a Swordfighter?" Questioned the doctor.

" _Exactly_." Answered the canine as he turned to Gunner. " _Gunner I need you to get Swordfighter, He's helping out in the kitchen. Can you do that?"_

Gunner gave a salute "Don't you worry Lucario, I'll get him in no time." The shooter ran down towards the hallway; disappearing into the corridor as the team listened to Villager's sobs behind the door.

* * *

Peach was pouring the cake batter in the pan; putting all sorts of sweets and candy into the liquid chocolate. "Peach, I think you put enough quite enough sugar in the batter." Said Meta knight, crossing his hands in a meaningful way. "Now, now Meta Knight." Replied Peach, as she preheated the oven "I know what I'm doing, baking is specialty."

"Well I hope it turns out great, we put a lot of effort into it. Villager would love this cake!" Swordfighter said as he put the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Beep bloop, beep, bloop, bloop" Exclaimed the 2D man; jumping in the air with joy. "What he's doing?" said Sword, intrigued by the stick figure's actions. "Mr. Game and Watch is talking; he's saying that he's glad to help." Answered Peach.

"Woah, you can understand him?!" said the sword wielder in surprise. "How?"

"In this world, when you're living with someone for a long time; you tend to know what the person is saying. Even if you can't interpret their language." Said Meta Knight, not facing the group as he put away the ingredients in the fridge.

"So you can understand the person's meaning but not their words?"

"Yep!" piped the princess. "That's one of the properties of being a Smasher, though the ability won't manifest until much later on."

"Cool!" beamed the blond fighter "So I have Omnilingualism? That is so useful! Think of what I can do with that power. Heck I-"

Before he can finish his sentence, the door the kitchen was opened in an abrupt manner. Revealing Gunner; who scanned around the room-sighing with relief when she spotter Swordfighter.

"You're here, good." Said the shooter as she ran up to him.

"Gunner. What's wrong? Why are you in such a tizzy?"

"We need your help with Villager."

"Villager?! What's wrong with Villager?"

"We found him, but he locked himself in a room, He won't let anyone in and Lucario says he's getting worse."

"God that's horrible!"

"But we may have found a solution, Lucario says that Villager has some sort of emotional connection to you. He figures that if you were there to talk to him; his condition would have a chance at getting better."

"Really?! That great! Where is he?"

"Um. Hold on." Said Gunner as she turned to the rest of the group. "Does anyone have a map to spare?

R.O.B. projected a holographic map from his eyes; showing each of the layers of the Mansion. "Oh! Thank you R.O.B., now let's see here…there it is!" Said the mii fighter as she point to a spot she was looking for. "He's right here."

"Okay I'll head there right now! Sorry fellas but I have to go now! I'll see you all later." Swordfighter said as he sprinted out of the kitchen; narrowly avoiding crashing into Zero Suit and Luigi.

"Hey watch what you're going!" The blond woman said to Swordfighter; who didn't seem to hear what she had to say.

"Hi Zero, Hi Luigi. What bring you to the Kitchen? I thought you we're heading out to get gifts?" Peach asked with a smile as she laid the oven mitts on the table.

"We're going pretty a soon." Said Luigi; walking over the fridge-getting a big box of donuts. "We just need to a pack a couple of snacks for the trip."

"Wait! You're going to get gifts for Villager?" Questioned Gunner

"Yes" Replied Zero Suit "We're going to _Smashville;_ it's a town very close to this mansion, we can reach there in no time if we use my ship."

"Can I come with you guys?"

"You want to come with us?" Questioned the bounty hunter.

"Yes." said Gunner "I feel so bad for Villager. A kid like that should not go through such heartbreak at a young age. I want to give him something to cheer him up. It's the least I can do for him…So can join your team for this task?"

Luigi nodded. "Well a course you can Gunner, just a follow us and we'll lead you to ship."

"Thanks you so much." Said the shooter, she turned to face Team Cake; who was looking right at her. "Sorry to leave you all right now guy, but I have to get Villager a gift, it's his birthday and I don't want to-"

"Don't worry. We understand." Said Peach; putting on the mitts on her hands. "Go get a present for the kid, we can handle the rest here."

"Thanks for understanding guys" The mii said with appreciation as she followed Zero and Luigi out the door. "I'll get him the best birthday present he'd ever receive in his life!"

"Okay! Bye Gunner."

"Farewell" Said Meta Knight.

"Ugh, whatever. Bye!" Grunted Bowser.

"Now then!" Exclaimed Peach; holding onto the cake pan with her oven mitts "I think it's about time to pop this in the oven.

* * *

Gunner, along with Team Gift, rode in Zero Suit's flying ship. It shot through the air like a bullet; the trees and the ground brushed passed them at a fast pace. The vehicle continued like this until it had reached their destination. Zero Suit skillfully maneuvered the ship to land in the time square; the landing gear touching the floor with a quiet thud.

All 6 fighters jumped down from the top of the gunship; Gunner observed her surroundings, letting her eyes to take in the view. They're were in a small town of sorts, the buildings being well spread out; allowing plenty of space inside the village. The most interesting part were the habitants; instead of humans, they're were animals. Walking. Talking. Animals.

"What in the world? Animals?" Gunner muttered to herself, her mind absorbing this new piece of information.

"Yep!" Said Sonic, standing right beside her. "Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. These are animals; pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah I guess it is, but how is this possible? Why are they acting like people instead of actual animals?"

"Don't know." Said the blond women, looking over the map of Smashville. "This place materialized during the **Brawl era**. R.O.B. said this town was copied over from another universe. As to why the animals are the way they are, is beyond me."

"Aww, they look so cute!" squeal the shooter; after taking a closer look at them, she had found them to be very adorable. "I'm going to talk to one of them!" said the mii as she sprinted over to the nearest animal.

"Gunner! Wait!" shouted Sonic, failing to get the attention of the fighter.

The girl ran over the closet animal: a walrus, the woman beamed a smile as she began to converse with the mammal.

"Hi there my name is Gunner! It's nice to meet you Mr. Walrus."

"Ah hello miss, would you like to buy some onions?"

"Onions? Um no thanks, were kind of in a hurry to buy gifts. Do you know where we can find the nearest store?"

The walrus's face became a dull expression, he stayed like that for a moment before asking the same question once again.

"Ah hello miss, would you like to buy some onions?"

"Uh…no thanks?" the lady said, being confused with the animal's response "We're here to buy presents, A birthday party is starting soon and we need to-"

"Ah hello miss, would you like to buy some onions?"

"What?! No! I said presents! Were here to buy some presents."

"Ah hello miss, would you like to buy some onions?"

"What's with you and onions?!"

Sonic ran up to them at lightning speed; putting a hand on her shoulder. "No thanks, we don't need any onions." The hedgehog said to the walrus.

"Ah, okay. See you later!" the mammal walked away further into town as the rest of the team caught up with the Gunner and Sonic.

"That guy was so weird." Said the shooter, "He was asking the same question over and over again at the same tone. It was like he was mindless or something."

"That's a because he was mindless. They all are." Answered the green Italian.

"What are you talking about Luigi?"

"He's talking about the inhabitants of this world." Replied Zero Suit Samus. "You see, most of them are not self-aware."

"Not self-Aware?"

"Yes, they don't have thoughts of their own. They respond to stimuli; giving out a limited amount of responses. They're act more akin to amusement park animatronics rather than actual people."

"In other words, they're bumbling stupid idiots!" said Bowser.

"Were they always like this?" replied Gunner, ignoring Bowser's response.

"No." Answered Zero "There was a time when they actually had a personality. When they could think for themselves."

"What happened to them?"

"After the attack of Tabuu they just, stopped thinking. It was one of the lasting impacts of the Subspace Emissary. It was a curse that we'd tried to get rid of; but as far as we know, there is no cure."

"That's so terrible; so there is nothing you can do?"

"Well perhaps in the future we can free their mind once again, but for now they are going to stay like this for the time being."

"Man that sucks." Said Gunner, lowering her head to the floor.

"Don't sweat it Gun." Said Sonic. "They might have no mind but at least they're not in any pain. That's gotta count for something Right?"

"Yeah I suppose so. At least they seem happy." Replied the shooter as she looked towards the animals that are walking about.

"Well anyway, we should probably get back on track." Said Zero, looking at the map once again. "I know the way, follow me."

 _The group walked into town. Passing house by house. Store by store. Tree by tree until they reached their destination:_ _**Nook's Cranny**_ _._

"Here we are." Said Zero "The best shop in Smashville. If we're lucky, finding gifts for Villager _shouldn't_ be an issue."

"Don't jinx it Sammy." Grunted Bowser. "You have a habit of prophesying success when in reality it turns into a flopping mess."

"Stop being so pessimistic! We're just going to the store to buy stuff; nothing else. If anything happens it'll probably because of you. You have a habit of causing trouble." Samus fired back at the turtle. The monster growled through his teeth as he pushed open the door. "Whatever! Let's just get this over with!" The king said as he held the door for the rest of the team.

The fighters went inside the building. There were a wide assortment of items stocked on the selves; the merchandise being very clean and sterile. There was only one animal working at this time; a raccoon managing the register. The mammal became much more energized when he saw customers coming into his view.

"Oh come one, come all! Welcome to Tom Nook's Cranny. How may I help you?" greeted the casher-being overly friendly as he can possibly be.

"Hi there!" said Gunner "We're going shopping for a birthday party; is there a toy section in this store?"

"Hmmm…toys…" hummed the raccoon as he rubbed his chin "Those would be at aisle 7 & 8\. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Why thank you sir, we'll be heading there right. Thank you so much!" Said the shooter as the team continued further into the store.

"You said 'thank you' twice." Commented Luigi.

"There's no harm in being extra nice!" said Gunner.

"I beg to differ." Grunted Bowser.

"Of course you would Bowser, you hate being nice." Replied Zero Suit.

The six fighters were searching in the two aisles: Sonic, Zero Suit, Luigi, and Gunner were in aisle 7, whiles Bowser and Jigglypuff were in aisle 8. "I like that raccoon." Said the shooter. "He seems like a pretty cool guy."

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. Unless you try to shoplift from his store, in which case he becomes an absolute berserker!" Said Sonic

"Really?"

"Oh a yes!" Exclaimed Luigi. "One time, Wario tried to steal a couple of burritos from the freezer section and Tom Nook was so a furious! He chased him out of town and into the a woods; where he beat him to a pulp and said to Wario that he was a banished from his store. **Forever**."

"Woah!"

"Yeah, it's wise not to piss him off." Said Zero Suit "But try not to think of that, just focus on picking out gifts."

Gunner shook her head after listening to the story; looking at the toys at the shelf; deciding on what to pick out for her gift.

Meanwhile, the turtle and the Pokémon were picking out their own presents to present to Villager. With Jigglypuff loving it; and Bowser hating it.

"Stupid Lucario." Muttered the koopa. "Thinking he can just send me on this mission without my consent?! Oh the nerve of that mutt."

"Jiggly jig jig ly puff puff."

"Well of course you don't think shopping is not that bad. You're more busy getting items for yourself than Villager!" pointed the turtle.

Jigglypuff had a wide assortment of clothes on her: Sunglasses that are crystal as glass, a coat that shines brightly like the sun, and a black fedora to maintain her style. "Jiggly, jig gig puf jigglypuff."

"'My peabrain can't comprehend fashion'?! Now you listen here you little runt! I-"

Before Bowser can continue his tirade, he stepped on a baseball; knocking him off his balance. "Ahh!' He yelped, as he face planted on a half-eaten moldy sandwich that was laying on hard floor; Mustard and pickles getting smother on his face. He picked himself up, wiping away the mess from his face. He thought his day wouldn't get any worse. Until he heard the sound of a snap accompanied with a flash of light.

Jigglypuff grabbed a camera off of one of the shelves and took a picture of bowser; laughing mischievously as her face contorted to a grin.

"Oh no you don't!" Said Bowser. "Give me that Camera!" He ran over to the creature and grabbed the device the creature was holding on to; with both having a tug-of-war over the little machine

"Jiggly!"

"Let go you little runt!"

"Jig puff!"

"Give me the camera you pink turd, or else I-"

As they were fighting, the both of them bumped into the back shelf, having it tip over and knock into another shelf; creating a domino effect as it toppled over aisle 9. Aisle 10. Aisle 11 and so forth.

"Jiggly…"

"Oh crap."

The rest of the team ran over to check up on Bowser and Jigglypuff. With a shocked look upon all their faces. "What the hell happen Here?! Shouted Zero Suit. "What did you guys do!?"

"We didn't do anything!" Equivocated Bowser. "It just fell down all of a sudden. Right Jigglypuff?" The turtle asked his floaty companion,

"Jiigly puff pu, puff jiggly jig jigglypuff!" the Pokemon said with agreement.

"I don't believe you." Samus deadpanned; staring intensely at the eyes of the two fighters.

Tom Nook ran over to the Smashers to see the catastrophe that laid in the middle of his store. "MY STORE!" Shouted the raccoon "My products! My Future sales! What have you done!?"

"Now Tom." Pleaded the blond. "We can talk about this."

"How dare you destroy my baby, you will pay for this!" The animal pulled out a cell phone; dialing numbers on the keypad. "You're going to the slammer!"

"Wait don't call the cops!" Begged Gunner. "We can make it up to you! We'll do anything!"

"Anything?" The phone was playing a recorded message, the sound of a women was talking through the speaker.

"Um, yeah?" said Gunner, the words subconsciously coming out of her mouth.

The animal cancelled the call; putting his cell phone back in his pocket. "Well then, today is your lucky day. I happen to have a task for you all to do."

"And that would be?" Questioned Sonic, raising an eyebrow.

"You May or may not know, but today is the day of the golden butterfly migration." Said the raccoon.

"Golden butterfly migration?" Questioned Luigi.

"You heard me right. Golden butterfly migration." Continued Tom Nook "Every 10 years or so a massive swarm of butterflies-literally made out of gold-travel across the world. Going to place to place."

"Really?" Said Gunner "I never heard that. Is it true Zero Suit? Are there really golden butterflies?"

"It's true." replied the blond "I only saw pictures and even videos about the anomaly; but I can confirm it's true."

"Yes; and they so happen to be passing through this town very soon; it's quite the sight to see. Many people would kill to see a picture of such a beauty. Which brings us to the main point of the discussion."

He grabbed an array of cameras; handed one to each of the Smashers. "I want all of you to take as much pictures as you can; when you're done, come back here and give the photos to me. You do that; not only will I forgive this little 'mistake', your gifts will be free of charge.

"Wait." Said Bowser. "Why are you having us do this? Not that I'm complaining, but can't you do this yourself?"

"Oh. I would love to; believe me." Said the animal. "But I've been oh so busy with work lately. I can barely leave the shop as it is. Besides I don't want those things to kill me."

"Kill you?" Said the stunned shooter. "What are you talking about? They're butterflies; they are nature's most peaceful creatures."

"Not these butterflies," Replied Tom. "These particular group of insects hate being recorded on camera. The moment you take a picture, they'll try to hunt you down and turn you into gold. They are very vicious and relentless once they marked their prey. It's the reason why few pictures exist of them; most people wouldn't risk their lives over a stunt like this. _**Except all of you."**_ Smirked the animal.

"Screw that!" Yelled Bowser "I'm not going to put my life on the line so you can make a couple of bucks. You can shove this camera up your ass!"

"Heh heh. Trust me Bowser; that would be a _**grave mistake**_."

"What?!" Shouted Bowser in shock. "How did you know my name? I never told you!"

"Doesn't matter how I know, what matters is, is that I know. I know your name, I know your powers, and I know where you live." Said Nook, his tone becoming very dark. "The cops will be the least of your concern if you refuse. I may look like a raccoon but I'm a lion at heart. If you fail to complete your end of the deal. I will hunt you down."

Tom Nook grabbed a bowling ball from the upper shelf, pressing a continuous force on the dense object. **"I'll tear you apart. I'll take your head off, I'll make sure no one will ever find your body! DON'T YOU DARE CROSS ME!"** The bowling bowl instantly shattered under the immense strength of the casher; the pieces fell to the floor as the fighters cowered under the deathly glare of the raccoon.

"I was just kidding man!" Pleaded Bowser, "We'll get those pictures. I promise!"

"That's what I thought." Said the mammal as he walked away from the group. "I would get going if I were you. The butterflies should be going through town square any minute now. You wouldn't want to **disappoint** me, would we?"

"Nope. We'll get right on it! Come on guys let's go!" Shouted Bowser as he ran out of the store-his teammates following right after him.

"Actually Zero Suit, I take it back. Tom Nook is terrifying."

"I know; we're so lucky he's in a good mood today."

"HE WAS IN A GOOD MOOD?!"

"Yep, the calmest I ever seen him in my entire life."

"What's he like in a bad mood?"

"You don't want to find out."

Gunner whimpered; now regretting her choice to go on this trip.

* * *

 **I decide to slip this chapter into two parts because it was too long. Know that we reached the end. I got a question for you:**

 **What will happen next time? Will Swordfighter get to Villager? Will Peach's cake turn out great? Will Team Gift be success at taking pictures?**

 **Find out next time on Resurgence!**


	10. Chapter 10: Birthday Blow-up Part: 2

**Chapter 10: Birthday Blow-up: Part 2**

Swordfighter ran through the hallways like a speeding jet; the scenery brushing past him faster than he could blink. The mii kept sprinting until he came to a halt when he saw Lucario, along with some of the Smashers lean up against a door. With soft sobs coming from the wall.

"I heard what happen; came here as fast as I could." Huffed the blond, taking in breathes from his reluctant exercise. "How's he doing now?"

The jackal was the one to speak, moving away from the wooden surface. His attention now focus on the fighter. " _Villager has calmed down a bit, but I still sense sorrow in his aura, he will only get worse later on if this continues."_

"Well it's not going to under my watch!" Said Swordfighter. "Just tell me what to do and I'll follow."

" _Alright then. Listen to my instructions carefully, and we might break Villager out of his depression before supper."_ The Pokémon gestured to the door. " _First. We need to inform him of our presence. Just knock on the door and speak from the heart; he will allows us entry with the sound of your voice alone."_

"Ok!" said Swordfighter. He knocked on the door with his right hand. Getting the attention of Villager.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Swordfighter."

"Swordfighter?!" exclaimed the voice from inside. "What…What are you doing here?"

"Lucario told me you were in great pain, and I want to help; we all do. Please Villager. Let us in."

There was silence; no noise came from the room. The team thought they had failed until they heard the sound of the knob unlocking. The door opened outwards-revealing the Smasher with red eyes and dried tear stains.

"Hello Sword." Choked the trophy, he looked towards the rest of the group and continued speaking. "Lucario, Mario, and umm…"

"Dr. Mario" said the Mario look-alike. "And these are Kirby and Pikachu."

"Can we talk?" the sword wielder questioned, being absolutely sincere. "I can tell this is bothering you tremendously."

"I…sure, come in." Said Villager. Allowing them entry.

The Smashers went inside; it was mostly clean except for the large amount of tissues that littered the floor of the room. The boy sat and slumped against a nearby couch, Cleary drained physically and emotionally from his breakdown from earlier. "So…What do you want to talk about?" Said Villager, his tone barely coming out as a whisper.

" _As we mentioned before, we want to help you get through this."_ Lucario said to the child; relaxing on the couch as he put a paw over his shoulder. " _This is taking a toll on you; tearing your soul from the inside. It's not healthy keeping your feelings bottled up. Just speak your mind, let your frustrations out. We won't judge you."_

Villager looked in the Pokémon's eyes before sighing. Swallowing his spit before speaking to the fighters. "When…When I heard you say that I wasn't real; that I'm just some trophy. I was shocked." Continued the boy. "But that was nothing to compare to what you said next: "I'm sorry to tell you this Villager but, you can never return home." I practically lost it when you said those words; bolted out of the door and wallowed in my own misery."

The entire team began to hold their breaths, the child's explanation wincing them to despondency. "And now everything I loved is gone." Explained Villager, sniffing in between breaths. "Separated in another universe, which I can never see again. Trapped in a strange hostile world where everything wants to kill you. And to top it off, I'm an imposter. My real self-having the time of his life back in town, whiles I'm stuck here for all eternity. I've got nothing else left. Life will never get better.

" _You're wrong."_ The Lucario said in a serious empathic tone, looking in his eyes in a meaningful way.

"What?"

" _You're wrong."_ Repeated the jackal. " _Villager. I know it may not seem like it right now, but there is a life worth living here. We were just like you: Born in this strange world with nothing to our names except our memories and the clothes on our backs. We lost everything that was so dear to us but we prevailed. We relied on each other. Cared for one another. Helped our fellow fighter!"_

" _Eventually we found new things to fight for, enjoying what this life has to offer; from saving the entire realm to having long walks on beach. I assure you Villager, there is something for you here. You just need to search for it._

"He's a right!" said Mario, standing in front of the couch. "I used to be a hero back in my a world. Now I spend my a time helping my friends and protect the world!"

"I was well-respected doctor back home." Said Dr. Mario "Now I practice medicine in the comfort of my a room-aiding any a Smasher that desires my help." He gestured an arm towards Kirby and Pikachu. "And they missed their friends a dearly, and they still do. But they moved on and made a new ones. There hasn't been a day when haven't seen them a smiling!"

"Pika!"

"Poyo!"

" _And I too when through heartbreak and loneliness."_ Replied Lucario. " _I used to be partnered with a human. We did everything together from fighting intense battles to watch Saturday-morning cartoons on a flat-screen tv. He was more than a friend to me; He was family."_

" _When I was reborn into this world, and learned about my situation. I had a nervous breakdown. I shut myself off from the world, reminiscing about the old life I had. How I will never get it back ever again. But one day I had enough of the self-hatred and bitterness, and broke out of my cold hard shell. I started caring for others, forming new bonds whiles I practice on my new fighting techniques. Eventually I emerged from the sea of depression and took my first breath of the joyful air; and I loved every second of it"._

" _And you too can heal and become happy in this new world. You just need to give it a chance."_

The boy was stunned by the impressive speech so much that he froze in amazement, trying to form words in his head to respond. "That's…whoa…I…I"

"Lucario's telling the truth Villager." The boy heard a voice to his left, he rotated his head to see Swordfighter, standing a couple of feet from the couch. "When I came to the WOT, I had no recollection of my old life, heck I don't even know my original name; I just myself by the word etched on the bottom of my sword." Said the fighter as he unsheathed his sword to show the imprint on the handle.

"Like you I also learned of my predicament. I felt that everything was over, that was nothing for me here. But Lucario took me out of that mindset and showed me the true path. It was painful not knowing who I really was. I'll probably never know for the rest of my existence. But I'm eternally grateful that I had my friends to bear through this pain. You don't have to go through this alone Villager, we're always here for you."

Swordfighter extended a hand to the boy, expecting him to hold his hand. Instead the boy pulled the mii closer to his body. Wrapping his arms around his torso for a comforting hug.

"Thank you…just…thank you." Said Villager, snuggling against the blonde's chest. The sword wielder responded by hugging him back. Patting the boy lightly on the head. The rest of the team moved in to join the embrace. Giving each other a group hug.

They didn't dare to move away from the couch. The Smashers continued holding one another. Letting their body heat warm of their spirits, as the sadness that plagued their hearts moments ago began to melt into nothingness.

* * *

Peach was washing the dishes; scrubbing the porcelain with a soapy sponge as the rest of the team conversed in the kitchen. Killing time as the cake continued to bake in the oven.

"*Beep boop boop beep beep*" said the 2D man, relaxing on the ground in exhaustion.

"I agree Mr. Game and Watch. That cake did take a lot of effort than expected." Replied Meta Knight.

"It sure did, but it sure was worth it!" Said Peach. "Just imagine how spectacular it'll turn out when it's done. Villager will sure be happy!" The princess look towards the oven before turning to R.O.B. "R.O.B., when will the cake be done baking?"

"[According to my scanners, the cake is baked over 50%. It will be finished very soon.]"

"Good! Will may have enough time to top it off with frosting and candles. Things are looking up!"

Right after she was done talking, the door to the kitchen opened. Revealing Brawler, with a tried look on face. He walked to the fridge and its contents for any desirable food.

"Or it did a second ago." Peach whispered to herself, keeping a watchful eye on the fist-fighter. "Hello Brawler! What brings you to the kitchen? Are you here to help us bake a delightful treat for the birthday boy?"

"Pfft! As if!" Answered the mii, getting a cold canned soda from the refrigerator. "I'm enjoying my free day off, not going waste it on a stupid party," Paused the Smasher as he took a sip of the fizzy drink. "Besides I hate cooking; takes to damn long to get a simple meal ready as it is. Especially when it comes to baking. Not only is it boring and overrated, it's absolutely ridiculously stupid! Only a brain-dead fool would consider taking baking as a hobby."

Peach was frozen with shock as she cleaned the dishes. Allowing a plate to slip from he hands as it shatter in pieces in the soapy sink with a loud crash. The princess turned around; frothing with a primal rage but still managed to keep a smile as she spoke to Brawler.

"Oh! Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Well I happen to love baking!" Said Peach, pointing to herself. "I practiced the art for years and I became the best in the business. With my name being known by everyone in the entire world. Does that alone make me a brain-dead fool!?"

"Pretty much." The mii answered plainly; taking another sip of his soda.

"Now you listen here!" Shouted Peach, dropping her happy expression. "Baking is very important! Without it, you won't be able to make things like: Cake, pizza, and bread! Not that I expect you care to know about it! Maybe if you pulled your head from your behind, you might-"

Before the princess could finish her rant, the lights in the building went out. Placing them in a sea of darkness; with Charzard's tail flame lighting up a good portion of the room. Peach grabbed a lantern from the cupboards down, lighting it before turning to the rest of her teammates.

"What happened?!" Questioned the rink royal. "Why has everything gone dark?!"

"[My sensors indicated that the entire mansion has undergone a power outage]" Said R.O.B. the red light on his head blinking profusely.

"A POWER OUTAGE!?" Exclaimed Peach. "But that means…" Trailed the princess as she look at the oven. She ran over to the appliance and took out the cake that was on the middle rack-placing it on the counter.

The female Smasher hovered a hand over the meal before facing her group. "It's not even warm; the cake's still raw!"

"*Beep boop beep*" (What are we going to do!)

"Calm down Game and Watch, there is an easy solution to this problem." Said Meta Knight, putting a hand over the 2D man's shoulder.

"And that would be?" Questioned Brawler.

"That cake is still salvageable, just a bit undercooked" explained the creature, pointing to the meal. "We just need to find a source of heat. I propose that we have Charizard warm up the food by using his fire breath on it."

"That's a great idea Meta!" Said Peach. "But, how are we going to do it without burning the cake?"

"Leave that to me, I'll find a way."

"Seems too much work to even bother." Said Brawler, finishing his soda. "Just scoop some ice cream and dump it in a bowl. That ought to cheer the brat up."

Peach frowned tremendously, marching up right towards the fist-fighter. Their faces being very close. "Brawler, I had enough of your attitude! You been here for over a week and I'm already sick of it! What gives you the right to treat others like dirt?!"

"I don't need a right to justify how I treat others, I can make my own decisions and I'll pay for the consequences; and I don't need to be lectured by some stupid old hag!"

The aura in the room was so tense it could be cut with a knife. An uncontrolled fury was bubbling up within the princess. Clenching her gloved hand with intense strength.

"Hey fellas." Said Peach. "Why don't you leave the kitchen and get started on baking the cake. I'm going to have a little _**chat**_ with Brawler."

"[Peach, please don't-]" Replied R.O.B.

" **Just leave!"** Shouted the princess, the portal of hell itself becoming visible in her eyes.

"The team grabbed the cake and hurried out of the room; closing the door behind them.

The royal turned back at the mii in disdain. "How dare you. **How dare you.** We treated you with the upmost of respect and this is how you repay us?! Do you act like this to everyone you meet!? You can't get ahead in life by acting like a complete ass! I ought to slap you silly! Hey are you even listening to me?!" Questioned the princess. Raising a fist in the air.

Brawler folded his arms as he rolled his eyes. "If you're expecting me to listen then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I listen to people I actually respect. People I actually admire. Not some dumb pampered blondie princess who thinks she owns the place; not to mention that she probably gorges herself on loads of cake! I mean look at you! Your ass is bigger than your entire head! That's honestly pretty ridiculous if I do say so mysel-"

Was all that Brawler managed to say before a well-placed frying pan had hit him across the face.

* * *

Team Gift was getting in position into the town square, readying their camera for the golden swarm that has yet to come. "I'm really not looking forward to this." Said Sonic, feeling uncomfortable about the situation. "Are we even sure it's even coming this way?"

"I'm certain of it" Said Zero Suit, powering up her device. "I conversed with many of the villagers in this town and they said the butterflies always come to this spot."

"Yeah they seemed really jittery when we asked them about it." Said Gunner. Looking over to the near empty streets. "It was like they we're going to pass out in a heartbeat."

"Well I would be a nervous too if a bunch of killer butterflies visit my a town every so often." Replied Luigi, looking over his shoulder nervously. "Heck, my a heart is beating a 1000 times per minute. Oh Mama Mia! Why did we choose to go on this a mission!?" Whimpered the green plumber.

"Because we don't have any other choice." Said Zero. "The store suffered too much damage for a simple fixer upper; and there's no way we can pay for it. This is the only option we have left. Perhaps if some people just kept to themselves and didn't cause a mess; this would've gone without a hitch!" seethed the blonde; eyeing the Pokémon and the turtle.

"God! Will you stop placing the blame on us!? We said were sorry!" Shouted Bowser.

"Oh! You better be sorry!" Yelled back the fighter. "We have to go through all this because you two just had to roughhouse! You know what happens if we fail do you!? We-"

"Hey guys. They're here!" Sonic called to his teammates, pointing at to the town's water foundation. The group stopped what they were doing and looked at what the blue hedgehog was warning them about. Their mouths were open agape to what they saw.

It was the Golden Butterfly Migration: They were packed into large groups of 12; the insect's wings sparkled into the glow of the afternoon sun; and sounds of cello music could be heard from the swarm. It was the most peaceful sight they ever saw. Perhaps the only one they'll see in their entire existence.

"These are so beautiful!" Exclaimed Gunner. "It's hard to imagine that these creatures are actually deadly."

"But they are indeed." Said Samus. "Otherwise people wouldn't be scared to death over these things. We have to be careful."

"Yeah, not doubt about that." Chimed Luigi.

As the Smashers were formulating a plan on how to snap some photos without being harmed. An anthropomorphic bear came into view, walking on the dirt road. She glance towards the swarm and smiled as she pulled out a camcorder. "Oh this looks splendid! I must record this!" The mammal said in a monotone voice, raising her thumb to press play.

"Oh no!" Said Zero, now noticing the bear. Realizing what she's about to do. "Miss! Don't do that; get away from there!" Shouted Zero. Extending an arm to the animal. If she heard the fighter, she wasn't showing it. The villager pressed the red button on her device; with the lens of the camera opening wide.

This sparked an immediate reaction from the insects. The cello music became distorted; the sparkles had shimmered down; and the butterflies were moving erratically. They all immediately flew straight to the bear. Covering every inch of her being with their shiny wings.

The mammal moved her body frantically, trying desperately to get them of her. She slowed down before he body came to a complete stop. After a moment or too, the butterflies flew away from each other. Revealing a golden statue of a panic villager.

"Yikes!" Exclaimed Gunner, tripping on a rock and landing on her rump.

"So that's how it a works." Said Luigi, his voice shaky from the traumatizing act.

"Did you see how fast they turned her?!" Replied Bowser. "How are we going to out of this unscathed?! They'll turn our asses to gold in seconds!"

"That's not possible." Responded the blonde fighter. "A Smasher's form stays the same no matter what; that includes transmutation. At worst. These insects can turn us back to our trophy states!"

"Okay that's somewhat reassuring, but how are going this?" Questioned Sonic. "The moment we start taking photos, they be on our tail!"

"Hmmm" Thought Zero. Until a thought popped into her mind. "We can take pictures of them from a far distance; we'll have a head start if we do that. After we shake them off our trail; we can go back to Tom Nook and hand him the photos. Then get some presents, and head back to the mansion. What do you guys think?"

"Sounds risky, but I suppose it's the best option we have right now." Answered the shooter.

"Great!" said Sonic. "Now that we have a plan, we should-"

Before he can finish, a large flash of light came blinded them a second-putting them all on edge. The butterflies stop moving; flying in place as they rotated towards the group. The music getting louder than before.

The Smashers turned their heads to the source of the flash; only to see Jigglypuff holding a camera, with a surprised look on her face.

"JIGGLYPUFF!" Yelled Bowser in Anger. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"JIG PUFF JIGGLY JGGLYPUFF!" (IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR!)

The swarm had sprung to life. Speeding towards them in a frenzy as the sparks glowed with fury.

"Oh god no." Said Zero, she faced the group with panic as she began to speak. "WE NEED TO GO TO THE CRANNY NOW! LET'S GO! DON'T LET THEM TOUCH YOU!" Shouted Zero as she ran, with her team following close behind.

* * *

 _They only ran for minutes, but it felt like hours. The butterflies were hot on their trail and they weren't letting up. The insects refused to go away. No matter how many turns they took, or how far they ran, or how many fireballs and plasma shots they discharged at the horde. They won't escape from this one without a fight._

"Nothing is a working!" said Luigi. "They're still on our trail!"

"Just hold on a little longer Luigi!" Zero Suit encouraged to the plumber. "We're almost to the shop. Tom should know what to do!"

"Hey I think I see it!" said Gunner, pointing with her free hand up ahead. It was the "Cranny". The glass doors open slowly as the raccoon walked outside. He was getting ready to lock up temporary-for a bite to eat, when he heard the sounds of voices coming his way.

"TOM!"

"WE NEED YOU'RE A HELP!"

"JIGGLY!"

The animal barely had any time to react when the Smashers ran into him; the seven of them dogpiling on the floor inside. Sonic quickly separated himself from the manmade hill as he ran to the entrance; locking as the insects gathered near the glass doors outside. "Whew! That was a close one!" Said Sonic. Wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Shouted Tom. "You're supposed to be out there taking pictures!"

"We were trying to do that Nook! However they started to chase us. We ran all the way here, trying to escape the swarm's attack."

Tom rolled his eyes when Zero suit was finished speaking, obviously showing little care for the Smasher's well-being. "Whatever. Anyway, do you have the photos?"

"What?! No! We were too busy running for our lives to take any pictures! They could have got us!"

"That's none of my concern!" Snapped the raccoon, feeling pretty annoyed with the team's behavior. "You been tasked with photographing these butterflies to pay me back for the damages you caused me! You not considering going back on our deal. **Are you?** "

Gunner was the one to speak next, raising herself off the floor to speak with the shop owner. "No! Nothing of the sort. We just been sidetracked; that's all!"

"Well then get you butts in gear and take those pictures!"

"What?!" Said the turtle with shock. "Are you crazy?! We'll be demolished if we go outside. It's-"

"Who said anything about going outside?"

"What?"

The raccoon gestured a hand towards the door. "Look at them! They're pressed up against the glass. You can easily take snaps at them if you wanted!"

"Yeah. I suppose we can." The shooter said softly to herself.

"Jiggly jig."

"Well what are you waiting for? GET TO IT!" Yelled Tom, who was pointing at the butterflies.

The Smashers-though reluctant-did take pictures of the golden swarm. Not wanting to invoke the wrath of Tom Nook. The flashes of their camera going off faster than they can keep track off. Making the insects more enraged than before.

The butterflies glowed together with light, blinding the area with glowing yellow as everyone covered their eyes. When they looked back, the entire wall had disintegrated into shiny dust. Allowing the winged devils entry inside.

The golden bugs formed a ring around them; getting ready to pounce on the corner fighters. "TOM!" Screamed Gunner. "HELP US!"

"I think I rather not." Said the raccoon, standing on the outside of the circle

"WHAT?!"

"Your beef is with these shiny creatures, I'm not going to risk my tail for you worthless lads."

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!" Yelled Zero. "YOU STILL NEED US TO TAKE THE PICTURES!"

"True, but you already have completed you task a second ago haven't you? With your mission complete, I had no further use of you. When these pests are done having their way of you. Not only will I print the photos; but I'll sell your trophies to the highest bidder. A treasure like you will make me rich!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Raged Bowser. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS YOU FURRY FREAK!"

"But I already have, you overgrown turtle." Snide the shop owner. "These monsters will finish you any second now; and I'll be the richest animal in the world!"

The butterflies had overheard his conversation. They felt so upset over the raccoon's evil plan, that they changed their priority over the Smashers to the greedy animal. "What are you doing?!" Shouted Tom. "You're supposed to go after them, not me you little idiots! Wait, No! NO! **NO!** " Pleaded Nook as they swarmed his entire body in seconds; causing tremendous pain.

The animal howled in agony for several moments before going silent. The insects had gotten off him; revealing of yet another statue made of gold.

When the horde was finished with him, they left the building; flying out of the front door and disappearing in the sunset. Leaving the fighters lone with the petrified shop owner.

"They…they a left us alone?" Questioned Luigi. "But they are a ruthless to anyone who takes a picture of them. Why would they leave us alive?"

"It's best not to think about that; not wise to question miracles." Said Zero as she looked outside.

"Well, what do we now?" Said Gunner. "With the butterflies gone, we can actually find a gift. But the party will start soon; we won't have enough time to scavenge through that mess." The shooter pointed to the fallen shelves, looking much worse for wear.

"Actually." Replied Bowser, stroking his chin as he looked at Tom Nook. "I think we already found a potential gift."

"What do you?...Oh no we cannot do that!" Said Gunner. "We can't give Villager the statue. It's wrong!"

"Come on, Think about!" Argued the turtle. "If we leave it in here; someone will take it anyway. He's already dead so you don't have to worry about him kidnapping charges or coming to haunt you back. Besides, He was going to sell our trophies on the black market! So why would show that monster any sympathy?!"

"It's not that! It's just…just-" Stuttered the shooter, trying to form coherent words in her head. "It's just doesn't seem like the right thing to do! Just sounds like it's the wrong thing to do!"

"Well how about this?" The Koopa took a coin from the casher counter and showed it to the group. "Let's flip over it. If it's _heads_ : we leave it here and find something else to take. If it's _tails:_ we take it with us. Deal?"

"Well…I…actually…" Said Gunner, rubbing to back of her head from indecision. "I still believe we should leave it here but, that sounds like a fair way to settle this." Everyone nodded in agreement; looking at the turtle at what to do next.

"Now that everyone is on the same page. Let's give it a toss!" Bowser flicked the coin up into the air with his right thumb. It floated for a couple of seconds before crashing down to the floor with a quiet whack.

 _ **Tails**_

"Looks like we're taking the shiny bastard with us after all!" Exclaimed Bowser; running over to the statue and holding it over his back with his massive strength. A devilish grin plastered all over his face.

"Now that we have our gift, let's get going. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to stay here after dark. So let's head back to the ship. Agree?" Asked Zero Suit.

Everyone nodded in almost perfect unison; tired expressions visible on their faces from the hard work they just done.

"Okay then, let's go. We got a party to catch!""

Team Gift ran out of the building with the present in their possession. They sprinted out into the night as the shop became silent. Much more.

* * *

 **That's the end of the 10th chapter right there. The 11th one will be about the actual party itself. I need a couple of days on how to structure it before I can begin to write on it.**

 **The 11th chapter will probably be short, but I'll will make it the best it can be; have it tug on your heart strings. It'll be worth the wait.**

 **Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter in the review sections on the story. I love getting feedback.**

 **Till next time**

 **-Crystal Brick**


	11. Chapter 11: Make A Wish

**I made this a bit short because I have a major test coming up soon. I'll be studying up to March 16 to March 23. after that, I'll get back on track on this fic, I promise.**

 **By the way, I want to ask you guys question. Would you prefer long chapter but takes a while to produce? Or short chapters that are relatively quick to release? Let me know in the reviews.**

 **If you also want to know how the progress is going on this story, just PM me. I won't mind. Anyway here's the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Make A Wish**

The rest of the Smashers were setting up decorations for the birthday that was due very soon. Party hats were being aligned on the table in a numbered order; balloons of every color, tied to the rails of the chairs; streamers hung from the banister of the second floor, sparkling with pink in the light of the room; finally there was an old boom box, set on a stool, playing old pop song that would make anyone dance under the spell of its mighty tune.

Whiles the trophies were almost done setting up the party, Team Cake was tasked with baking. Because of the fact they couldn't use the stove, since the mansion was out of power; they had to find another alternative.

Meta Knight came up with a solution however, he placed the raw meal under a dish cover and ordered Charizard to use his fire breath on it: The heat from the fire will cook the cake, whiles the metal covering will shield the food from getting burnt to a crisp. _A fool-proof plan._

"I got to give it you Knight, I thought there was no chance in hell that this little plan of yours was ever going to work. You proved me wrong." Admitted Wolf, observing the team from the dining table.

"Yeah!" Said Lucas. Holding a flashlight in his hands. "It was very smart of you to bake the cake without using the oven! How did you come up with that?"

"When you are as old as I am, you tend to learn a few things along the way" The creature replied to the psychic. The masked fighter turned to the orange dragon, who was still breathing fire on the metal dish. "You can stop now Charizard, let's see if it's ready."

The Pokémon nodded, he killed the flame in his mouth; with smoke exhaling from his nostrils. Meta Knight grabbed a rag off the floor, using it as an oven mitt as he pulled the top off. Mr. Game and Watch stepped in and hovered a hand over the meal.

"*Beep beep boop beep*" (I think it's done.)

"[That's fantastic, our mission has been a complete success!]" Said R.O.B. "[Should I go into the kitchen to retrieve the candles and frosting?]"

His mask hid it well, but everyone could tell that his expression dropped to a slightly anxious attitude. He looked at the kitchen door in worry. The fighters haven't entered since they left Peach and Brawler alone for their **'chat'**. For 3 hours straights, muffed screams and banging could be heard from the room; with the walls, thumping with each hard hit made on the bricked surface. _He did not want to go in there._

"*Beep beep boop*" (No need R.O.B.) Replied the 2D man, he grabbed a container and a baggy from the table and showed them to the group. "*Boop boop beep boop boop beep boop beep*" (I grabbed them on the way out the door).

"That's great, no need to go back in the kitchen." Sighed the knight in relieve. Swiping the sweat from the side of his mask. "Alright, how about the rest of you put the finishing touches on the cake? I'll set up the plates on the dining table."

"Sure thing"

"*Beep*"

"[Compliance.]"

The fighters answered with agreement as they administered the frosting on the meal. Meta Knight nodded before heading towards the table. He was just in the middle of getting platters out of a cardboard box when he noticed Team Gift coming towards him; the big turtle carrying a large wrapped present over his head.

"Meta Knight!" Huffed Gunner, taking several deep breaths. "We made it back, please tell me we're not late!"

"With ease, Gunner." Said Meta Knight. "You're not late, in fact. You made it just in time. And I see you were successfully in inquiring a gift for Villager." Said the creature, gesturing to the cargo on Bowser's shell.

"Yeah we sure did, was a pain in the ass to get it though." The turtle said to masked fighter

"Is that so?" Inquired the knight. "What was the problem?"

"The store manager was being very difficult to work with; but eventually he came around and helped us find a gift for the birthday boy." Chortled the Koopa king; his face contorting to a mischievous grin. "Couldn't have done it without him!"

"Yeah that's good to hear, one less thing to worry about."

"Everyone! Listen up!" Roared a squeaky voice. They turned around to see Young Link standing on a stool, looking at a phone-like device in his right hand. "Lucario just messaged me that they're taking Villager to the dining hall! Get in positions!"

The Smashers hurried up their chores and crouched to the ground; with one of the trophies sprinting to the light switch and flicking it off. Turning the room into a pitch black blanket of darkness.

* * *

Villager and Lucario's team were walking down the corridor, their emotions becoming more relaxed than they were before. "Hey Lucario, where are we going?" Questioned Villager, looking at the door that was inches away from their position.

" _We're heading towards the dining hall."_ Answered the Pokémon. _"There is something that I want give you."_

"You don't have to do that Lucario." Said the boy "You don't have to give me anything, I don't want to be a burden."

" _Oh I insist. I want you to feel comfortable around here, make you feel better. We all do."_

"We?"

The jackal opened the door to a very dark room; all of a sudden, the lights were turned on; revealing all of the mansion's residents in the hall. "SURPRISE!" roared the voice of the crowd. The boy was absolutely stunned whiles the canine was smiling with delight.

"Wha…you…you guys did this?!" Said Villager.

" _Indeed"_ Replied Lucario. _"When Swordfighter mentioned that today was your birthday, we sprang into action; spared no expense."_

"Wow! I...I don't know what to say!" Said the boy, being overcome with joy so much that tears threaten to spill.

" _You don't have to say anything Villager, just take it all in and enjoy yourself."_

"Woah is that was I think it is!?" The child vocalized to the entire group, before running over to a colorful object that was suspended in the air by a thick blue string. "A piñata! Man I love these things! I can't remember the last time that I bashed one of these things."

" _Zelda suggested that we craft one for you; she put a lot of effort into making this and it really paid off. I'm glad you liked it."_

"Oh I do! It looks so cool. Hey is that my present?" Joyfully questioned the lad, pointing to the wrapped gift that Bowser was showcasing to the birthday boy.

"Sure thing kid!" Hollered the turtle. "We spent a lot of blood, sweat, and tears getting this little thing. Behold its beauty!" Said the Koopa, a dark smile was plastered on his face as he ripped away the wrapping paper; revealing a golden statue of an anthropomorphic raccoon.

"Is that…Is that a statue?! MADE OF GOLD?!" Ecstatically Yelled Villager. "This must have cost you a fortune!"

"Actually we didn't have to spend a penny! The shopkeeper was kind enough to lend himself a hand with the gifts, we couldn't have done without him!" snickered the king as he patted the sculpture on the head.

"That was awfully generous of him! I bet he is the most kindest person in the world." Said the Smasher, observing the shiny figurine. "You know, this statue kind of reminds me of something, but I can't place my finger on it" Spoke the child, scratching the side of his head to rack up answer on why this gift seems so familiar to him.

"DONE!" Said Lucas. Interrupting the fighter in his thoughts as he saw the blonde bring over the chocolate frosted cake to the table.

"Done?" Replied Villager, before widening his eyes. "Oh you mean the cake; is that chocolate flavored?"

" _Yep! 100% made of pure chocolate, inside and out."_ Answered the jackal. The Pokémon asked Snake for his lighter, which he gladly obliged. The solider handed the blue animal the item he desired-the canine using the tool to light up each of the candles that were placed on the cake. After he was finished, he lightly pushed the sugar treat towards the boy that was now seated at the head of the table.

"Okay everyone, lets sing _Happy Birthday_!" Said the princess known as Zelda. "Ready? Here we go! 1, 2 3!"

Every Smasher in the room sang the song: _Happy Birthday._ They did so in perfect unison; smiles curled up on each of their faces. (Except Ganondorf, who was hidden behind the crowd staying silent and rolling his eyes, but no one really likes him so who cares.)

When everyone was finishing singing, the blue-furred Pokémon spoke up _. "Time to blow out the candles Villager, make a wish."_

"Yes a wish! But what do I wish for?" The child said aloud to himself. "There are so many things out there that I can choose from! So what should I pick?...Oh I know! I'll-"

" _Now, Now Villager."_ Interrupted the aura canine. _"You can't just blurt out what you wished for. Otherwise it wouldn't come true. Think of it long and hard, when you're ready. Just blow out the candles."_

"Oh! Right. It's supposed to be a secret. Ha ha, I forgot…Now what do I want?" The Smasher looked inside himself, finding what he desired before the lightbulb went on in his head; prompting him to take a deep breath-blowing out the candles.

The fighters clapped with appreciation at the sight, cheering the boy on with his celebration. _"Now that everything is now in place. Let's dig in!"_ Said the Pokemon, picking up a knife off the table to cut into the triple layered cake.

* * *

The Super Smash Brothers had a blast; eating, dancing, and playing games well into midnight. Most of the Smashers went to their rooms after the party ended; trying to get a good night sleep into dream land. The only one's still left in the dining hall were: Lucario, Gunner, Swordfighter and Villager. Peach was also with them too, however she stayed in the kitchen for the majority of her time. Finally leaving the party to go back to her pink bedroom; mentioning something about _cleaning the stains of her pan._

Swordfighter was gathering up the plates on the table, stacking them into a nice pile when Villager approached him.

"Hi Villager!" Said the blonde fighter. "Enjoyed the party?"

"Oh Absolutely!" Replied the child fighter. "I'll treasure this day forever."

"That's great to hear man, I'm so happy for you!"

"Hey Sword, I want to give you something" Said Villager, rummaging through his front pants pocket for a few seconds before presenting the object to his friend.

It was a crystal of some sort; its shape being spherical in nature; only as big as a standard golf ball one who find on a golf course. It sparkled in the light as it rested in the boy's hand.

"I found it when I was out in the fields; sticking out of a pile of dirt." Continued the Smasher, rubbing the diamond ball with his shirt. "I want to give this to you as a token of our friendship; to thank you for what you did for me. Here. Take it."

"Aw Villager, I can't take this. It looks so valuable to just give away; besides, today is your birthday. It doesn't seem right to take something away from you on your special day."

"It's fine. Really!" Said Villager. "You deserve this, you risked your life to save my butt from that bee; I would have been toast if it wasn't for guys. It's the least I can do. Take it. Pleeeaaaasssseeee?" Pleaded Villager, trying his best to show off his puppy eyes at the mii fighter.

"Okay, okay." Surrendered Swordfighter. Taking the crystal from his hands. "I'll take it."

"Thank you so much Sword!" Thanked the child, giving his friend a hug. "Hey, I'm going to go to bed, that party took a lot of energy out of me. Need to catch up on some zzz's for tomorrow." Joked the fighter as he ended the hug. He walked to the door, opening it slowly as it creaked.

"Night Sword! See in ya in the morning!" Waved the child as he walked down the hallway, disappearing into the darkness of the corridor.

"Goodnight!" Shouted Swordfighter as he gathering the rest of the plates. When he got all of the dishes, the mii walked over to Lucario; who was sweeping the floor up with an old broom.

"Hey Lucario, I'm going to wash these dishes so we can use them tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

" _Fine by me."_ Answered the Jackal, pausing in his sweeping. _"Just be sure to put them in the dish rack after you're done."_

"I will." Replied the sword wielder, walking over to the kitchen door. "Night." Said the blonde fighter.

" _Goodnight."_ Spoke the Pokémon, continuing doing his task at hand.

The mii nodded and went inside the room, he approached the sink; careful placing the plates into the soapy sink. He was about to grab a sponge when he heard whimpering to the right of him.

He turned his head to see Gunner crouching over a now cowering Brawler on the floor-stuck in the fetal position.

"What the hell!?" Exclaimed Swordfighter, as he stopped what he was doing and ran over to his friends. He kneeled right to the shooter before asking: "What Happened?! Why is Brawler acting like this?!"

"I don't know!" Gunner said with a worried tone. "I just found him like this, I tried talking to him but he won't respond!"

"What could have caused him to act so irrationally?"

"Cake…Pan…Pain…PINK DEVIL!" Shouted the fist-fighter, continuing his trembling shaking after his nonsensically rambling. Swordfighter and Gunner looked at each other in confusion. With the three of them being becoming visible in the pale light of the shining moon.


	12. Chapter 12: A Power Struggle

**Chapter 12: A Power Struggle**

 _1 week later…_

Things had gone well after the party, Villager, despite feeling episodes of sadness here and there; was recovering much greatly. 7 days later, the mansion was back at its usual business. With: Snake, R.O.B, Lucario, and the Ice Climbers hanging out at the command center doing their own activity.

R.O.B was in the process of checking and adding new files in the computer system; storing them away for future use. The jackal and solider was busyplaying a game of chess; the both of them giving their all at defeating the other opponent. Lastly the Eskimos were playing a video game of some kind, a 2D

retro platform/action game; the twins gripped their controllers in concentration; trying to defeat the final boss.

" _Climbers, you two have been playing that game for some time."_ Criticized the Pokémon; moving his Rook to take out a bishop. _"Why not take a break and go_ _outside for a_

 _while?"_

"No way!" Retorted Popo; the one wearing the blue parka. "We came so far to quit now! We're so close! Besides, who likes going outside?"

"A lot of people, about half of the Smashers living in this mansion." Said Snake; using his knight to eliminated Lucario's bishop. "I'm willing to bet that would like it too if you give it a chance."

The children we're not listening to them however, their eyes were glue to the television screen; clenching the controllers harder than before; with their hearts skipping a beat.

"We're almost there!" Shouted the other twin; Nana." We're actually going to do it! We're gonna beat this game!"

 _ **Unfortunately for them, it wasn't meant to be.**_

Before they could land the final blow on the boss; the lights in the room went it out, making it completely dark; with the emergency light bulbs in the room providing just enough luminescence for them being able to see.

"What happened?" Said Popo; repeatedly pressing the power button on the game console. "No! This can't be! We almost had it! WE WERE SO CLOSE!"

"It's not fair!" Whined Nana; threatening to cry.

"AGAIN!?" Shouted Snake, turning to R.O.B. "Are we having another power outage?!"

"[Affirmative.]" Calmly answered the robot. "[Do not fret however; my scanners indicated that this blackout will pass momentary.]"

" _That's the fifth time this week!"_ Said Lucario. _"This is unacceptable; we can't_ _have this every single day! Our generators are faulty; we need a more efficient_ _power supply!"_

"[You are correct, this can't continue! This is only going to create a potential hazard in the future. Starting today, I will begin plans on creating a new generator.]"

"I don't think it'll be that easy." Said the solider. "This mansion is very big, and consumes a lot of power. That generator will have to be 10 times more powerful than the one we have now. Do we even have the resources to make such a machine?"

" _We have to try, life will be much more difficult if we don't."_ Answered the Pokémon. He looked over to the Eskimos hunched over the tv and said. _"And_ _Climbers, calm down. It's just a game; nothing to be upset about."_

"But Lucario, we we're so close to beating the game!" Said Popo. "Now we have to try all over again!" Whined Nana. "This is not fair!"

" _Life is unfair."_ Replied the Lucario. _"It's a truth of the universe that we all must_ _accept; but don't let this get you down. When life shoves you to the curb, you_ _suck it up, and_ _get back up. You will beat that boss, I know you will! Do not let a power_ _outage get in the way of your goal!"_

"*Sigh* whatever you say Lucario." Said both of the twins simultaneously, feeling sad on how victory was taken from them prematurely.

After a couple of seconds, the power went back online; The electronics roaring back to life with the room lighting up once again. "Well at least's that over." Commented Snake. "Alright, well we should get working on that generator. I'll call Samus and Fox so we can get started on-"

*PRIIINNNGGGG*

The solider was interrupted by the sound of a familiar alarm, coming from themain computer. _That can only mean-_

" _A Newcomer!"_ Yelled Lucario; running over to the monitor. _"This can wait later!_ _We have to find the Smasher. Where is it pin-pointing to?"_

"[Hold on]" Said the robot; highlighting the mark on the big screen "[It's located right here!]"

"Right there?! Ugh, this going to be fun!" Sarcastically said the solider; he turned his body to speak to his blue-furred companion and said. "We need Mewtwo for this! He's the most effective with dealing with those ghouls! Where is he?"

" _Mewtwo said he going to participate in training the Newcomers; he should be at_ _the gym!"_

"Alright then! Lucario, Ice Climbers. You're with me. There's someone out there that needs our help!" The serviceman looked over to the robot and said "Keep an eye on that place R.O.B.! You know how unstable that area is!"

"[I can handle it. Just go!]"

The solider nodded and gestured to his team to follow him. The trio ran through the exit, sprinting as fast as they could to their destination. Leaving the door wide open as it slowly closed shut.

* * *

"Enjoying your first time training Villager?" The sword wielder said to the child; who was sitting on the mat. All the Newcomers were present for another training lesson with Marth and Mewtwo. Since Villager was new to the World of Trophies, he has been strongly advised to attend these sessions.

It didn't really fit his personality to fight; but if he wants to survive in this world, then he had learn everything they throw at him. It's the only real option he has at the moment.

"Um, yeah it seems cool. It feels like we're in an action film. Kind of hard to believe this is even real."

"Oh believe me, I know how you feel." Said Swordfighter "A part of me believes that this is all a dream; I mean: Superpowers, immortality and alternate universes? I would've had thought you were crazy if you told me all of this in one go."

"Yeah!" Joked Villager. "My citizens would have questioned if was mentally fit to serve if I gave a speech about it."

"Citizens? What do you mean?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. Back at my original universe, I was the mayor of a town run by animals. Pretty cool huh?"

"The Mayor? That's…wait, how old are you?"

"I'm about 8 years old."

"8 years old?! How did you manage to become the mayor at such a young age?"

"Well it's a long story, see I-"

"Hey, excuse me!" Marth said to the chatting fighters. The two stopped their conversation and looked over to the prince; who had an annoyed look on his face, but did his best to conceal it with a welcoming smile.

"We're in the middle of a lesson here, these are very important to take note of. So I think it's best if you pay attention to what I'm going to show you all; it will behelpful later on. You can continue your conversation later."

"Oh! Sorry your highness!" Replied Villager, he said to his friend. "I'll tell you about it later." Before the two of them faced their instructor. "It's just Marth. No need to be formal about it." Spoke the swordsman before continuing the session. "As was I saying, We Smashers have a move called Double Jump. This ability allows you to jump two times; once on the ground and twice in the air."

"Jump on the air?!" Questioned Gunner. "That's sounds impossible, even for a world like this. Air is a gas; it's not solid enough for us to stand on. How to you expect us to accomplish a feat like that?"

"Simple, just jump." Answered Marth. "It's easier than it sounds, let me show you."

Mewtwo on cue; used the power of his mind to telekinetically move two wooden logs; One short and one long. The Pokémon arranged them vertically on the ground so it would act as platforms for the fighters to stand on. The blue-haired fighter positioned himself in front of the first log, looking over towards the Newcomers.

"For the first one, you just jump. For the second jump however, you have to concentrate the strength in your legs. If you do that correctly, the air under your feet will become solid for a split second; allowing you to achieve that 'impossible feat' you so claim Miss Gunner. Allow me to demonstrate."

Marth stepped on the first log; he bend his knees before leaping of the platform, the swordsman tensed up his legs before he jumped in midair; Doing a front flip as he landed on the second log with great precision. The Newcomers were impressed, clapping for the prince's stunt; even Brawler widen his eyes to how professional this guy was.

Marth jumped down from the platform and gave a bow. "Now's that's how you do a double jump! Now it's your guy's turn. Who likes to go first?"

Gunner was the first to raise her hand. "I like to go firs-"

"I'm up." Interrupted Brawler, rudely brushing past the Shooter as he positioned himself in front of the logs. The fist-fighter took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he remembered what Marth instructed him to do. He put both of his feet on the log and jumped. Tensing his legs as the air beneath him became solid. Allowing the Mii in mid-air as he landed on log with ease; just wobbling only a few seconds as he stood still.

"See? Didn't even break a sweat."

"Good job Brawler!" Congratulated the swordsman. "You're one step closer to becoming a Smasher!"

" _It's acceptable, but I have to say; your technique needs more work. Try focusing your posture next time you land on a surface. We wouldn't want you to fall face-flat on_ _ground when you jump would we?"_ Calmly said Mewtwo, His mouth curled into the faintest smile as he playfully said _"Well, except me."_

Brawlers glared harshly at the Creature, clenching his teeth in absolute outrage. _He did like Mewtwo…_ _ **at all.**_ He treated the Pokémon as his arch nemesis. Even after they put the whole chasing incident behind them; Brawler still felt deep resentment towards him. It was the look in his eyes; he didn't know exactly what he saw in those pupils but whatever it was. It enraged the fist-fighter.

He wanted to punch him so bad; but even in his hot-tempered state, he knew that would only lead to unnecessary problems and backlash. The fist-fighter hopped down from the log and sat back on the mat with Newcomers. His folded as his lips deformed into a sour frown.

"Who's next?" Said Marth.

"I'll go!" Replied the shooter, walking over to the logs as she warmed up her legs for the task. She stepped on the logs and propelled herself off the platform. Gunner had doubts to whether she could actually do it, but to her surprised the fighter jumped in mid-air.

' _Wow, First try!'_ Thought the Mii ' _Now all I have to do is land on the platform and I'll-_

*THWWACK*

Gunner was interrupted before she could finish her thoughts. She jumped to short and landed face-first into the log. The Smashers cringed in pain as she slid down the wooden pole, falling onto her back as stars circled her head.

"Oooh! Missed the landing; that's got to hurt." Cringed the prince, as he looked away from the scene.

" _Don't worry Marth, it looks painful but she'll be fine. Trophies can't be injured after all. At least she managed to double jump; that's got to be worth something right?"_ The Pokémon looked over to the girl and asked _"Gunner, do you require assistance?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute." Said the shooter, picking herself from the ground. She walked over to her spot and sat on the mat; rubbing her temples from a massive headache. "You know what? I think I'm done for the rest of the day, I need a break. Sword! Why don't you give it a try?"

Swordfighter nodded and walked over to the logs. "Guess it's my time to shine." The mii said to himself as he stepped on the first one. Like Brawler and Gunner, he performed the double jump. Propelling through the air as he aimed for the platform.

Unfortunately, he misjudge his jump. He actually over the log and landed on a stool. The piece of furniture was wobbling, it was swaying so bad that Swordfighter fell off of it. He would have crashed into the ground if it was for a certain psychic; telekinetically catching him before he hit the floor.

" _I think we need to improve more on landing."_ Said Mewtwo, placing the Smasher back in his spot.

"I guess we can practice more next training session." Marth said to the Pokémon, he turned to the child and asked. "Villager! Would you like to give this a try?"

"Um…I'm good, I can do this at my own time." Said the boy; not wanting to face-plant on the wooden logs.

"Well alright then." Said Marth as he was walking over to the refreshment table. He poured himself a glass of iced tea; drinking every last drop as he savored the taste.

"Ahh…That hit the spot!" The swordsman put down his cup and faced the Newcomers. "I think we're done with training for today. You're all dismissed. Enjoy the rest of the day. We all need to freshen up for next time."

The newbies nodded and picked themselves off the floor. They were about to leave when the door to the gym slammed open. Revealing a blue jackal, a pair of twins, and a solider. All with an alarmed look on their faces.

"Snake?! Lucario?! Climbers?! What's wrong? Did something happened?" Asked Marth in concern, feeling troubled on how the four were acting.

Snake was the first to speak. "Marth! Where's Mewtwo? We need him now!"

" _I'm right here, no need to be worried."_ Replied the Pokémon, teleporting in front in the group as he asked a question. _"What's going on? Is someone hurt?"_

"No. But someone will be if we don't act now!" Said Popo.

"Yeah! We located another Newcomer, but the person located in a dangerous area!" Shouted Nana.

" _How dangerous are we talking about here?"_ Pried Mewtwo. _"Blackwood Jungle? Chromatic Iceland? Jack's Casino?"_

" _Worse."_ Answered Lucario, maintaining a professional demeanor _"Tox Falls."_

Mewtwo widen his eyes in shock; realizing the gravity of the situation. _"This is not good! The place is volatile, who knows what sort of dangers lurk within that hellhole! We need to find the Newcomer before anything happens!"_

"I'm coming too!" Hollered Marth. "Those ghouls are vicious, with the help of my blade, we might be able to defeat the monsters easily."

"Woah, Woah!" Interrupted Swordfighter. "What the hell is Tox Falls, and why is it so dangerous?"

" _Tox falls was a nuclear power plant that_ _was once operated by human-like entities; that place used to supply power to the entire land."_ Explained the jackal. _"One day, all the reactors malfunctioned and exploded! Destroying that land's ecosystem and killing the workers from the fallout. Now those unfortunate souls had reanimated into the undead; attacking anything and everything that is still alive in there!"_

"That's horrible!" Exclaimed Gunner. "And you guys are certain the Newcomers has been located there?"

The Tracker has always been 100% accurate, there's no reason for it to be wrong now." Answered Snake.

"Sounds like it's a job for a hero!" Embolden Villager. "With all of us combined we can save that Newcomer in no time!"

" _Sorry Villager, but I'm afraid you guys can't come."_ Said Mewtwo.

"What? But you let me go on a dangerous mission last time, why can't we-"

"That was different! Techma Fields is generally a peaceful land for travelers to visit. In Tox Falls, there are hazards everywhere! The land is filled to the brim with poison, debris and the undead!" Explained the solider. "You guys are still training, you're not ready for this sort of mission! I'm sorry Sword, but we can't let you guys come."

"But I can…*sigh* Okay Snake, we'll stay here."

"Thank you for understanding."

"You guys act like we're helpless ducklings." Said Brawler. "We know how to fight, after all; we gave you guys a good beating when we entered your base. A couple of zombies are no big deal for us! Quit treating us like children!"

Mewtwo hovered right in front of him, landing his feet on the ground in front of the fist-fighter. _"Brawler. I know you won't understand this because your ego is clouding your sense of reality; but even you must realize that you won't be able to handle this mission. You're a fast learner, but you lack technique and discipline. I saw how you fought when I first met you! You barely stood a chance against us! You have strength but you don't have skill! Perhaps when you get better at Smashing, we can take the training wheels off and treat you like a duck! Now just stay here and shut up! Capisce?"_

Mewtwo then walked away, leading the group towards the door. Brawler was having tears of rage. No one treats him like that. No one puts him down like that. No one does that to him! He's not going to let this beast get the satisfaction of putting him down. He ran in front of the Mewtwo, blocking them from the exit.

"Screw you, you purple cat-faced asshole! I can defeat anything that comes my way; no matter what it is! I'm going on this mission weather you like it or not! And there's not a damn thing you're going to do to stop me!"

"Brawler!" Said Marth, shocked by the fist-fighter's attitude. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but-"

" _Actually Marth. Let him come."_ Said the Pokémon.

"What?"

" _Let him come. I've only been with this hot-head for a couple of weeks but I understand him perfectly! If we just leave him here, he'll just follow. He's got the spirit of a mule! Always stubborn, not willing to give in. So let's take him with us. Let him learn the hard way that he's not prepared for such a mission. It'll be a good learning experience."_ Explained Mewtwo, staring down Brawler in the eyes.

"Alright Mewtwo, if you think that's for the best!" Said Marth, running over to the door, opening it with full force. "Let's go! There's a Smasher that needs our help!"

The group ran out of the room and disappeared down the hallway; leaving the Newcomers with stunned expressions. "Well that escalated quickly." Commented Villager as the door shut closed by itself.

* * *

Mewtwo, Snake, Lucario, Marth, Ice Climbers, and Brawler were riding a tram through an underground tunnel. They decided to travel to their destination by going through one of the mansion's secret tunnels. Being a much safer option at hand.

"Why can't we fly to Tox Falls again?" Questioned Brawler, riding in the very back of the vehicle.

" _Because Brawler, the area is encapsulated by highly acidic gases."_ Answered Lucario. _"If we were to simply fly into Tox Fields; our spacecraft will be dissolved into nothingness, and we will be falling straight to the ground. This is the only way to get into the plant without causalities."_

"Ugh this is complete bullcrap!" Complained the fist-fighter. "This is taking too long! Are we there yet?"

"We should be arriving shortly." Said Marth. "Just have some patience."

"Ugh, whatever." Replied Brawler, slumping into his seat.

" _Quit being so sour, Brawler."_ Spoke the psychic. _"You wanted to go on this little adventure, so you have to deal with the consequences. You can still back out if you want to. It's not too late."_

Brawler glared deep into the Pokémon's eyes with a bitter frown. "Don't even try with that crap! I know you're trying to pressure me into bailing but it's not going to work! I'm on a mission to save the Newcomer! It's my duty to save that Smasher!"

" _Brawler. You and I both know that's a lie. You only wanted to come to the mission to spite me; to prove that you're better than me. Show some humility and just admit it!"_

"How did…I don't…I don't have to prove anything to you, you prick! Just shut it, I need to focus on the mission.

" _Focus on the mission? Or shut down the conversation?"_

"Listen here, you ugly mother-"

"Will you stop your bickering?!" Said the solider, finishing the rest of his cigarette; flicking out of the tram. "We arrived at Tox Falls, you can continue your fighting another time. There is much important things at hand!"

" _Yes, this conversation would be better suited for another time. Wouldn't you agree Brawler?"_ The fist-fighter groaned, rolling his eyes as he looked away from Mewtwo's face.

The tram came to a slow stop, halting in front of small staircase, leading to a rusty bunker door; the entrance to Tox Falls.

The Smashers got of the vehicle and walked up the stairs; with Lucario taking the lead. He pressed his paw against the door as he looked back at his team _"Are all of you ready?"_

Everyone nodded; giving the all clear. Lucario pushed against the door; revealing what's on the other side.

" _Here we are gentlemen! **Tox Falls!** "_

* * *

 ** _Hi there readers, I managed to squeeze this chapter in between breaks of studying, I hoped you enjoy it._**

 ** _So what do you guys think Tox Falls would look like? Types your predictions in the reviews._**

 ** _Till Next Time._**


	13. Chapter 13: A Toxic Situation

**Hey guys, I managed to get my studying done, And I managed to post this chapter in record time. That's good!**

 **On the the questions.**

 **MikySP: Not Excatly, I plan to touch upon their world in a sequel, perhaps in that story. But it's not what I have planned. i still need to think of how to structure it.**

 **Anyway, back to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: A Toxic Situation**

The place known as Tox Falls came into view of the Smashers. However it didn't seem gloomy as Lucario described. There was indeed a power plant but it wasn't abandoned, it seemed to be in good looking condition; the lake was gorgeous. The water being crystal clear; with fish joyful swimming through it. To top it off, the sun could be seen from the entrance, providing a nice sunset for the trophies.

"This is Tox Falls!?" Exclaimed Brawler; shaking his head in disbelief. "How the hell is this dangerous? I don't see why a place like this has a high mortality rate!"

"That's because you're seeing a false image." Said Snake; pulling gas masks from his backpack. Handing them to the rest of the group as they began to put them own. "It's imperative that we put these on."

"Why?"

" _Because you are breathing in poison right now."_ Replied Lucario; attaching the mask to his snout.

"What?!"

" _I'll explain in a minute, just put this on."_ The jackal handed him a spare. _"The more exposure you have, the deadlier the side effects will be."_

The fist-fighter although skeptical did indeed put the mask on, the area began to morph from beauty into ugliness, and Brawler was stunned to what he saw.

All water sources such as ponds and lakes were polluted, boiling intensely as it glowed brightly with green; the ground and the remaining structures were dulled of their color, with rampant corrosion visible on the surface. Lastly, clouds of ash and vapor covered the sky, the sounds of thunders could be faintly heard from up above. Placing the finishing touches on the grim atmosphere of the land.

" _I imagine you're wondering why the appearance of the area changed when you put that gas mask on."_ Continued the Pokémon. _"You see, when the reactors exploded, not only was Tox Falls exposed to high levels of radiation; thousands of chemicals were released into the air. These chemicals are hazardous to living things; causing hallucinations, insomnia, mental degradation, and in some cases. Death."_

"Well ain't that something." Sarcastically commented Brawler as he looked on. "This place looks like hell on earth!"

"Yep, sure is" Said Snake, picking up the backpack. "Let's get a move on. The quicker we get this done; the better."

The group walked out into the world, treading on the cracked concrete sidewalk of the plant. They were tracking the signal on Snake's device. Walking towards the direction of where the Newcomer was located.

"So the story is that the all the reactors exploded at once?" Questioned the fist-fighter; looking at his surroundings as he continued to walk.

"We're pretty confident that's what happened; it's been well documented on the information we gathered." Said Marth; his gas mask slightly muffing his voice.

"'Information we gathered?" Replied the puzzled Smasher "You guys didn't witness the actually explosion?"

"No. This happened along time ago; during the Brawl Era" Answered Popo.

"Occurred right before we formed the Super Smash Bros. *sigh* If only we came together sooner we could have prevented this." Lamented Nana; looking at the reactors with sadness.

" _There's nothing we could've have done about it, Nana."_ Said Mewtwo _"The best we can do is to give it our all, to use every ounce of our will to prevent these tragedies to ever happen again."_

Brawler rolled his eyes, looking away from the creature in disgust. _'Oh please. A bastard like you doesn't deserve the honor of saving people.'_

" _What was that?"_ The Pokémon said sharply, the fist-fighter could feel him piercing the back of heads with the white of his eyes. The Mii looked back at Mewtwo in confusion as he said "I beg your pardon?"

" _Just because you're not flapping those lips does not mean I can't hear you. A trained telepath can read the thoughts of others, and your thoughts are quite vile if I do so say myself."_

"Well those thoughts aren't meant for you to hear." Fired back the Trophy "My mind is a place of privacy and sanctuary; you shouldn't have been snooping around in the first place. Not my fault your little feelings were hurt in the process." Mocked Brawler.

" _I think your ego suffered more damage than my emotions."_ The fighter in red clenched his gloved fist, clenching his teeth in disdain for the Pokémon. He was about to say something in retaliation when a noise got the attention of the group.

"OoooaAAagggHHHh!"

A monster spotted the fighters and alerted its pack of their presence. They began to shamble towards the smashers at a fast pace; with an intention to kill.

They creatures in question looked like walking skeletons. The bones were filled with cracks and grime; the eye sockets glowed red like blood, staring down their potential prey; lastly there was a green glowing aura that shrouded every single one of the monsters. With it being so hot that it left scorched marks on the ground as it moved.

"Ghouls up ahead!" Shouted Marth; unsheathing his falchion.

"Are those the 'unfortunately souls' you talked about earlier Lucario?" The fist-fighter said to the canine.

" _Indeed they are."_ Replied the blue jackal; forming an aura ball in his paws. _"These are the very creatures I warned you about! These are one of the most dangerous beings within this area!"_

"They don't look so tough!" Said Brawler; forming a metal ball in his hand. "I bet we can take these bastards head on!"

" _There's no need for that Brawler."_ Said Mewtwo. Stepping away from the group as he extended his hand towards the 5 monsters that were coming towards them; with his eyes glowing light blue. The fist-fighter was about to harshly question to what the Pokémon was doing when he noticed the skeleton's change in behavior.

The ghouls were now gripping the skulls in pain, howling in agony as they collapsed to the floor; twitching for several seconds as the green aura dissipated into nothingness.

" _Problem solved."_ Said Mewtwo, as he looked back towards his group. _"Five less monsters to deal with."_

"What the hell was that!?" Demanded the Mii. 'What did you just did you do to the skeletons!"

" _I freed them. They won't be hurting anyone, anymore."_

"Freed them?!" Shouted Brawler in confusion. "How the hell did you freed them?!"

" _Remembered when I told you that these ghouls were once living and breathing humans?"_ Lucario asked the Newcomer. _"Well. We found out that before they all died from the fallout, they wrote in detail about the stress and misery they experienced from the radiation poisoning in their notes in journals. We found out that it's much easier and more humane to deal with these creatures by making them relieve their last moments before death. This is why we needed Mewtwo on this mission; his telepathic powers are very effective against these monsters."_

"Okay, bringing Mewtwo along I understand, but why force them to relive their most painful memories. That doesn't sound humane, much less free them? That's the most back-watered, half-assed thing I ever heard!"

" _Brawler. I know it's sounds cruel and unusually to that against these ghouls, but it's the only way of taking them down permanently. They are spiritual tied to their corpse, and they have a strangle hold on it. Forcing them to remember breaks the curse they all have; allowing them to be free of this world. If we just kill them normally like slashing, shooting, or even disintegrating them, then they'll just materialize elsewhere. I feel bad that we have to do this, I hate hurting the animals of this world; even if they attacked me or my crew. I only fight them if I have no other choice. I'm glad that you care for them as well."_

"Trust me Lucario, I don't care for these things at all." Replied the Mii, as he looked at the fallen skeletons on the ground. "You should never give your enemies mercy, because they will never give it to you if they had your head within their jaws. The only thing I care for is to know why these creatures are so dangerous. How can something so frail? So weak? Be a major threat to this world?"

"It's because they can potentially kill anything living thing in one hit." Said Snake; putting his handgun back in his holster.

"Kill anything in one hit?" Questioned Brawler.

"Yes. You see, their bones carry a very deadly disease; if they manage to bite or scratch someone. That person will become infected. The virus is a fast-acting one; shutting down major organs and ceasing brain activity in under a minute. That's why these monsters are a major threat. Even though they can't kill us; they can turn us back to our trophy with only a couple of attacks. Even though we can be defeated easily; they can take us down just as fast."

"So they're glass cannons. That's fine, I can handle these freaks. I bet I can probably snap their spine in half with only my hands."

" _You should never underestimate your opponent Brawler, you don't know what tricks they have un-"_ Said Lucario before he was interrupted.

"'Under their sleeve'." Yeah, I heard that crap before; you don't need to shove it down my throat every time I brag. Just put a sock in it. I can handle myself just fine."

"Didn't you get beat up by Peach so bad that you had nightmares about her?" Said Marth.

Brawler gave the prince the stink eye "I thought we all agree to never talk about that again."

" _That's enough chit-chat._ " Said Mewtwo as he turned to Snake. _"How close is the target?"_

"According to the tracker it's only a mile away from here."

" _Then let's pick up our speed; it's wise not to stay in one place for too long."_

The Smashers sprinted over to the dam, hoping to find the Newcomer in time.

* * *

When the fighters arrived to their destination, they came across a huge dam, about the height of a skyscraper. Despite its structure being old and withered; it was still standing.

On the very bottom of the dam, leaks of glowing green contaminated water flowed from large open cracks; the poisonous liquid pouring into a large pond. The water was so murky and dirty that it was impossible to see more than a couple of inches.

Right next to the pond, was a woman; sitting cross-legged on the ground; seemly meditating. The woman skin was white as snow; giving the appearance of a mannequin. She also wore dark grey yoga pants and a blue athletic tank top with the words _Wii Fit_ written in white on the front of the shirt.

"Do you think that's the Newcomer?" Said Marth.

"She has to be, the device is pointing right towards her." Replied Snake.

The women overheard the voices nearby and open her eyes. Upon seeing the trophies she smiled and gave a friendly wave. "Hello there, Nice day we're having." Said the woman; changing her current pose to do some push ups. "Care to join me for some yoga?"

The team were stayed silent, not sure how to react. The silence was broken when Brawler whispered to the group, asking. "Why the hell is she exercising in a place like this? She must be very brave, or very stupid."

" _She probably doesn't realize the situation she's in."_ Lucario telepathically said to his teammate. _"The air is most likely making her to hallucinate her surroundings. Let's bring her back to reality."_

The group walked over to the woman; with the jackal stepping forward, saying: _"Excuse me, Miss! You're in grave danger. You are currently in a hazardous area. You need to come with us so we can escort you out of this place."_

"Huh?" The Woman stopped what she was doing and rose to her feet. She rubbing her eyes to see what was in front of her. She couldn't see clearly because the strangers were far away, but now they were up-close.

She couldn't believe what she saw: there was a blue jackal, a solider, a man with black hair, two Eskimos, and some strange purple creature, all wearing gas masks over their faces. Think that this was some strange dream; she shook her head and played along.

"Um…What? I'm in danger? What on earth are you talking about? I'm only near the waterfall, keeping my distance. How is that dangerous?" The woman gestured towards the dam. The effects of the contaminated air making her see a beautiful waterfall instead.

" _Listen. Miss…uhh?"_

"Fit." Answered the Woman. "Wii Fit"

" _Well Wii Fit. I know you may find it hard to believe, but you are currently being poisoned right now. You need to put this on and come with us. It's the upmost of importance."_ Lucario took another gas mask from the backpack; handing it to the white woman.

Wii Fit was hesitant to putting the mask on, taking a step back whiles looking at the group in confusion. "Poisoned!? What do you mean? I feel perfectly fine! I don't feel sick at all!"

"There's no time to explain!" Butted Snake. You're hallucinating right now, what you seeing isn't real. This mask will prevent you from getting anymore sicker." As he talked; something white and dirty slowly emerged from the pond; looking straight at the Smashers; it began to slowly move towards the group.

"Look! I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but you're making me feel uncomfortable!" Said the newcomer; taking a few steps backs. "I find it hard to believe that I'm in danger. Just look around me, there's nothing wrong. I'm sorry, but I'm not putting that thing on. I don't know-"

"Argh! Screw this!" Said Brawler; snatching the gas mask and walking over towards Wii Fit. "I'll handle this!"

"Hey! What do you think you're-" Before the woman could react; the fist-fighter grabbed the Newcomer's head, and forcefully attached the mask to her face. The fitness instructor freaked out, she tried to take off it, but stopped in her tracks to what she saw.

The peaceful scenery she saw before turned into a hellish nightmare; The lively green grass morphed into dead yellow weeds; the sky became cloudy and misty; and the waterfall wasn't even a waterfall anymore, it had turned into a huge dam; soaring high into the air.

" _Why'd did you do that Brawler!?"_

"She wasn't going to put on the mask Lucario! I took matters into my own hands."

" _You might have compromised the mission, you can't just-"_

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WATERFALL?!" Wii Fit Shouted over to the Smashers. "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"

"The people trying to save you." Snake said; getting the Newcomer's attention. "As we said before, you were breathing poison. The effects of the chemicals caused you to hallucinate your surroundings. We came here to rescue you from this place. It's very dangerous. Not only is it radioactive; it also contains deadly monsters."

"Monsters?" Said the instructor, she was about to ask what he meant, when all of a sudden; nana pointed a finger at her and screamed. To see what the fuss was about, Wii Fit turned around and saw a walking. Living. Skeleton it's eye glowed red as it shambled towards her. In her fright, she turned around to run away, but was stopped moving when Snake pointed a gun at her.

She raised her hands up in the air; pleading to Snake. "Wait! Don't Shoot!"

"GET DOWN!" Shouted the solider, lining up his sights at the monster. Wii Fit ducked to the ground, giving Snake the chance to fire his gun. The bullet pierced right through the Skeleton's skull; allowing the ghoul to fall to the ground; twitching sporadically. Mewtwo focused his telepathy on it and released the soul trapped within the corpse; taking it down permanently.

Wii Fit looked at the skeleton for a couple of moments before turning to Snake. "Was that the monsters you been talking about?"

"Yes, these are one of the many creatures that inhabit this land; if you want to stay in one piece. You're going to have to come with us."

The woman was in a state of shock, not knowing what to do in this situation. She quickly regained her composure however; and went up to the group. "Alright, I believe you. Let's get out of here before we're put in more danger!"

"Alright then." Said Marth; taking out a compass and examining it. "Follow us, Miss Fit. The exit is close by, stay close."

The Smashers were about the leave the area, but stopped in their tracks when they heard water splashing behind them. They turned around to see more skeletons emerged from the pond, their teeth clenched with a primal rage as they moved towards them; there were at least five of them.

"More ghouls!" Said Popo.

"Let's book it!" Shouted Nana.

The fighters tried to ran away from the pond, but was blocked by 5 more skeletons; glowing green with madness. All 10 monsters surrounded them in a circle; trapping them. They approached slowly; their groans and moans getting louder by the second.

"Where did they come from?!" Shouted Marth.

"We don't have the time for this!" Angry commented Brawler.

" _Everyone, listen up!"_ Lucario Telepathically shouted. _"We can let them corner us! Get in ring formation and take these monsters down! Don't let them break the circle!"_

Everyone except Wii Fit nodded, getting into their fighting stance. Marth and the Ice climbers were the first to go; the twins came up to two of the ghouls. The both of them leaned against each other, back-to-back. The sibling spun around in a circle as they slammed both of their hammers into the each of the skeleton's shins; breaking their femur as they fell to the ground. To finish the job, the Eskimos raised their hammers and smashed both of the monster's skulls to pieces; incapacitating them for the count.

A lone ghoul tried to sneak up on the two but was stopped when a sword pierce through the monster's mouth. The Ice climbers turned around to see Marth sliding the skeleton of his Falchion, giving the two a thumbs up, to which the twins returned the gesture.

Next was Lucario, Brawler, and Mewtwo; up against 4 of the ghouls. One of the skeletons did the first attack, trying to slash the fist-fighter with its claws. The Mii however dodge the swing; counter attacking with an uppercut the spine. The punch separated the ghoul in half; with the upper-half flying a couple of feet away.

Lucario used his extreme speed to get behind one of the skeletons; using his Force Palm; he shot a short blast of blue aura at monster; disintegrating it to pieces. Another ghoul tried to sneak up behind him, however, the canine notice it approaching; he grabbed the bony attacker at the neck, he then coursed his aura into the enemy, incapacitating it with extreme prejudice.

After he was done taking down the fiend, he looked over to his right where he saw Mewtwo telekinetically suspending a skeleton above the ground, after he was done using his telepathy on it, he tossed it to the ground; when he was finished, he teleported near the jackal, asking _"I can see you're managing yourself fine Lucario." "As do I, my feline friend."_ Replied the blue canine; looking into Mewtwo's eyes.

Brawler was walking over to the bisected skeleton, ready to stomp his head in until he heard a loud deafening shriek. He turned his head around to see Snake and Wii Fit fighting up against 3 ghouls. The solider pulled out his Socom and aimed at their heads. He fired two bullets; each going to their respective monster's head; taking them out of commission.

He was going to kill the last ghoul when heard a click from his pistol, he widened his eyes in surprise _'the gun is empty, I'm out of bullets!'_ thought Snake, he then saw the skeleton; coming awfully close to his face. He used his firearm to pistol whip the monster but it proved to be ineffective. In response; his enemy tackled him to the cold hard ground.

Snake struggled to push the skeleton off him as it tried to take a bite out of his flesh; trying all in his power to not get attacked.

Brawler was so distracted; he didn't notice the bisected skeleton crawling towards him. It grabbed a hold on one of his legs and took a big chomp out of his ankle, causing the fist-fighter to howl in pain.

" _BRAWLER!"_ Exclaimed Lucario, his adrenaline began to rise when he saw the Mii getting injured by the monster. The jackal and the Psychic began to move to the puncher when they were suddenly blocked by 3 more skeletons.

" _We don't have the time for this!"_ Shouted the blue Pokémon; raising his fist shining with aura.

Before he can act, he felt a Mewtwo resting a paw on his shoulder, he turned around to see a determined expression on his face; saying _"I handle them. Just go!"_

The jackal nodded, he ran as he jumped over the ghouls; leaving Mewtwo behind as he went to save Brawler. The fist-fighter shouted in agony again when the monster clenched harder on his ankle, refusing to let go. The Mii tried to kick it off him but to no avail. He then saw Lucario run up to him; taking a firm grasp on the skeletons broken spine. _"LET HIM GO YOU SON OF A BITCH!"_ Yelled Lucario; managing to pull the creature of the fighter. When the monster was off of Brawler; he gave a fierce stomp onto its head; killing it temporary. The canine then ran over to Brawler, kneeling over him as he began to examine him.

Elsewhere, Snake was desperately trying to get the skeleton off him but to no success. In his struggle, he notice something metal in the distance, he turned his head slightly to see his army combat knife lying near him; it must have fallen out when that ghoul tackled him to the ground.

The solider extended a free hand towards the knife, but was unable to grasp due to it being out of reach, he then looked over to the fitness instructor; panicking from the intense stakes of the situation.

"FIT!" shouted Snake, getting the attention of the white woman "My knife! Give it to me!" Snake was losing his strength against the creature, who was only a breath away from his face.

Wii Fit was frozen with shock; she hasn't been in a situation like this, she not a fighter! She can't do this!

The ghoul was even closer, only slightly brushing his teeth against his cheek. "NOW FIT!' Pleaded the solider; the man's arms would begin to give any second now.

Wii Fit, despite her petrifying fear; she obeyed the Smashers order. The Newcomer picked up the knife and tossed it over to him; Snake barely managing to grasp the weapon. He grasped the handle with the last of his remaining strength and dove the blade right to the monsters temple.

Upon penetration, the skeleton stopped his assault; lying motionless on the man's chest. Snake pushed the creature off of him; taking a few forced breaths before resting silently on the ground.

"Are you okay mister?" Said Wii Fit, clearly worried about his condition. "I'm fine!...I'm fine." Responded the solider; slowly rising to his feet to face the woman. "You did good Fit; you did good." Said Snake, as he looked around his area; there was no more of the creatures around them; clear sign that they survived to live another day.

"Man! That was a close one Mister…?"

"Snake. Solid Snake." Answered the solider; offering a hand shake, to which the woman accepted.

Before any of them could speak any further, a voice was heard throughout their minds. _"Snake! Wii Fit!"_ Someone was telepathically speaking to them, they turned around to see Mewtwo in the distance; floating several inches off the ground.

"Mewtwo! Are you alright?" Questioned the solider.

" _I'm fine, Brawler however, got bit."_

"Got bit? What does that mean?" Said Wii Fit Trainer.

"Where is he!?" Shouted Snake.

" _He's right there!"_ Answered Mewtwo; pointing over to Lucario kneeling over the fist-fighter.

"Oh crap, we got to help him. Come on!" The solider said to his comrades; the three of them sprinting over to the downed fighter. Brawler felt disoriented from the pain in his ankle; despite the fact that he was a Smasher, and can't get physically injured. It still hurt likes hell!

" _How much does it hurt?"_ The Lucario asked the Mii.

"Ugh…feels like my foot's on fire, but I'll manage."

" _Nonsense, You could've have taken a lot of percent from the bite alone! Where is Snake? SNAKE!"_ The canine shouted around his area; to which a certain bearded solider responded.

"I'M HERE!" Yelled Snake; kneeling right next to Lucario, as the rest of the group huddled around in a circle. "How bad was the bite?"

" _Brawler told it bitten him once!"_

"That's not that bad. This should heal him up!" Snake pulled a something from the zipper of his backpack. It was a tomato, with a big black "M" on the front of it. Brawler looked at the fruit with suspicion, until Snake continued talking.

"It's called a Maxim Tomato; it's supposed to reduce percent. Here. Just take a bite out of it." The fist-fighter, slowly took the food, and put it in his mouth; taking a huge bite out of it.

Almost immediately he felt relieved, as if a huge weight has been removed from his body. Marth Came up to the Mii and help him up to his feet. "You're okay Brawler?" Asked the blue-haired prince.

"Yeah, I'm fine; just pissed off!" Answered the Newcomer; dusting his pants from the dirt he fell on.

" _That's great, now that we defeated all the ghouls. I suggest that we leave; we don't want any more casualties, now would we?"_ Said Mewtwo; channeling his telepathic powers into the remains of the dead skeletons; killing them permanently.

Murmurs of agreement sounded through the crowd; they were just about ready to leave, when they suddenly heard a series of very loud beeps; coming from the top of the dam; they turned around to something blinking red on the upper surface of the structure. The light was so intense it could be seen with naked eyes.

Snake pulled a pair of binoculars from his pack and took a look, what he saw surprised him. There was a device firmly attached to the concrete of the dam; it looks like a glass jar, with wires running from a silver box fused to the bottom of the cylinder; into the container; the metal stands being submerged in an indefinable blue liquid.

There was something else in the jar; inside the blue liquid was a red glowing object. The light it was giving off made it impossible to describe its form.

"What is it?" Said Nana.

"It's so bright!" Commented Popo.

"It appears to be a machine of some kind." Answered Snake; giving the binoculars to Lucario.

"A Machine?" Asked Wii Fit.

"Yeah it looks like a jar of with some blue liquid inside it. It looks brand new; someone has deliberately place that on there. I wonder why-"

" _Hey! It's Changing!"_ Shouted the canine; looking through the binoculars.

"What do you mean it's changing?" Said Marth.

" _The light! It's beeping faster. Look!"_ Answered Lucario; pointing to the dam. Everyone look at the light to see it indeed beeping at a faster pace. It stay liked that for several seconds before turning green. Afterwards it let off a huge explosion; the shockwave sending the fighters on their backs.

Right where the light used to be were a series of huge cracks; the containement water beginning to seep from the fissures. "It's Leaking!" Exclaimed Marth; looking at the damaged dam.

"If we don't do anything soon, it's going to break!" Shouted Snake. "We got to do something!"

"We don't have the time for this; why not just leave!" Questioned Brawler. "The exit is close by! If we hurry it up, we can make it time!"

" _You don't understand Brawler! Tox Falls is nearby the WOT's biggest rivers. If that dam falls, the pollution will spread from this area to the land's water sources! It'll be a ecological nightmare! We must fix this now!'_ Said Lucario; charging up his aura.

"But how on earth are we going to seal up the cracks?!" Asked Wii Fit; being clearly distressed. Mewtwo was brainstorming; trying to think of a plan when he suddenly got an idea.

" _We can use the Ice Climbers to freeze up the cracks; that way we can seal up the damage!"_ The Pokémon said; looking over to the twins.

"That's a smart plan! Ice Climbers! Do you think you're up for this!?" The Solider asked the siblings.

The Nana and Popo gave a salute. "You can count on us Mr. Snake!" The both of them said in perfect synchronization.

"But how are we going to get up there? It's so high up!" Said Brawler; more cracks forming on the dam. The team looked for possible way up, before Wii Fit Said "There!"

She was pointed to an elevator; it was right next to the pond. It seemed to lead right up to the damaged area. Despite looking old and rusted, it seemed to be in working condition.

"Good Job, Fit!" Said Snake before turning to the rest of the Smashers. "Listen! Everybody! We need to get to that elevator before it's too late. We can not afford that dam to fall. Come on!'

The group hollered with confidence as they began to sprint towards the elevator, hoping to save the world from a horrible disaster.


	14. Chapter 14: Boss Battle: The Dam

**Chapter 14: Boss Battle: The Dam**

The Smashers fastened their pace to reach the elevator; with Marth, repeatedly tapping the button to activate the machine. When the doors finally opened, the fighters were shocked to what they found.

The interior was heavily degraded than the exterior. Corrosion was rampant, taking its toll on the metal framing of the elevator; giving it dark red color similar to blood. The windows had many cracks on its crystal clear surface; the slightest nudge could break the glass into many small pieces. Finally, elevator's carpeted floor has rotted away; leaving a thin metal grating in its place. If the fighters didn't know any better, they would assume it came straight out of a horror movie.

"This elevator looks worse than it did on the outside! Is it even functioning anymore?" Said Wii Fit Trainer.

Snake ran inside and observed the button panel. There was only six inputs:

 **(3)**

 **(2)**

 **(1)**

 **(GL)**

 **(- -) (- -)**

The solider moved his finger to the top button, pressing against it as hard as he could. The knob immediately began to light up; a clear sign to show it was still working. The doors began to slide inwards, but was stopped by Snake; who put a held a hand against the right door; preventing it from closing.

"It's still working!" Said the solider; gesturing the others to come inside. "Come on! We got no time to waste!"

"Are you crazy?!" Shouted Brawler. "This elevator looks like it's about to fall apart! We can't ride it!"

After the fist-fighter was done talking, a loud sound could be heard from above. The group looked up to see that cracks on the dam had expanded slightly; small chunks of rock falling to the ground down below.

" _There's no other way Brawler!"_ Mewtwo said to the Newcomer. _"That dam could fall any minute; this is the best option we have! Now shut up and get on!"_

The trophies scramble to get inside the machine. "Damn it." The Mii said to himself before he joined the rest of his teammates. Snake then let go of the door, allowing it to close. The elevator than began roar to life; gears and electrical buzzing could be heard as the cab was moving upwards towards the sky.

"So how the hell would freezing the damage on the dam solve this problem?" The fist-fighter said to the group of fighters "It'll probably work temporary, sure! But what happens when the ice finally melts? Our hard work would be undone, and the world would suffer anyway; making this whole entire plan useless."

" _No need to worry Brawler!"_ The jackal telepathically said to the Newcomer. _"I'll be assisting in sealing the cracks as well. My powers would also be needed in fixing the damage."_

"Oh really?" The trophy said with skepticism. "How so?"

" _One of the applications of_ _Aura Manipulation_ _includes inserting your own aura into: objects, locations, and even living things."_ Continued Lucario. _"Once the Ice Climbers is finished with their task of freezing the fractured area, I'll channel my aura into the ice; enchanting it so that there will never rise in temperature, it'll maintains it's form, and be resistant to tampering."_

" _In other words; inserting my aura into the ice will prevent it from melting, it will simply last forever."_

"You can do that?!" Brawler said with a surprised look on his face.

Despite the severity of the situation; the jackal couldn't help but chuckle _"Yes I can do that. It's an advanced technique to pull off, but I've done enough training to know my limits. Just stay on guard, and let the twins and I do the work."_

"Huh, and here I thought you were just boring stooge, I got to admit, that's quite…awesome." Said Brawler; trying his best to hide his smile. "Do you think you can teach me that?"

" _Sorry Brawler, but I don't think that's likely; the Lucario's most profound trait is to control aura. It's not something that can be taught on a chalkboard. And even then it takes: self-control, relentless training, and being at inner peace with yourself to able to develop such abilities. If you like, I can settle you with some spiritual meditation when this is over."_

"Um…yeah, I'll pass." Said Brawler; now losing interest in the conversation.

"Whiles the group was conversing, Marth notice something out in the distance, he squinted his eyes to see tiny specks flying in the air. He took his pair of binoculars and took a look, and was shocked to what he saw.

"Hey guys, we have company." The prince unsheathed his sword, preparing his stance for the upcoming fight.

"What now?" Replied Snake; upholstering his pistol. "Who's paying us a visit?"

" _Bird Ghouls."_ Said Mewtwo; forming a shadow ball in his paws.

"Bird Ghouls?" Questioned the fist-fighter; taking the binoculars from Marth to take a look.

There was a flock of avian-like creatures heading their way. Just like the skeletons, they were void of flesh and blood; their eyes glowing red as they opened their beaks in rage. Despite not having any feathers, the birds still manage to maintain their ability of flight; extending their claws towards the fighters; hoping to take a bite.

"What the hell?!" Said Brawler, "I though the only ghouls around here were the humans?"

"It was like that a first! But soon animals had migrated here for a source of food and shelter." Explained the prince. "When the animals died, they became ghouls as well, they're not as lethal as their human counterpart, but they sure do pack a punch."

"Oh great!" Sarcastically said Brawler; cracking his knuckles. "More freaks to deal with!"

"They're getting closer!" Shouted Nana; raising her hammer of the ground.

"We can't waste our time on these things; we're running short on time as it!" Commented Popo.

" _Don't worry you two; even if these things attack us. They won't slow us down. As long as this elevator keeps moving; we don't have to worry about wasting time!"_ Replied canine; charging up his fist with aura.

"But we have to stay on guard! Everyone get in formation! Protect all the entrances!"

All the Smashers got in a circle: Snake and Mewtwo took the right window, Marth and Ice Climbers took the left window, Lucario took the back window, Brawler had his back against the door, and Wii Fit Trainer stood in the middle unsure about what to do, feeling quite panicked on the upcoming assault.

The birds had finally reached the elevator; they landed on the glass with their claws, pecking the cracked window with their beaks; creating even more cracks. _"Here they come! Give it all you got!"_ Shouted Lucario as sounds of broken glass overtook their hearing.

Mewtwo took first blood; using his telepathy to kill four of the birds on his sidewhiles Snake used his trusty Pistol to shoot down each of the creatures on their position. Some of the ghoulish avians took swipes at Marth, pecking and scratching at the prince as he tried to slice them in half with his sword. The twins raised both of their hands; releasing a cold blast of ice and snow.

The monsters attacking the swordsman became frozen, they broke on impact hitting the metal grating; shattering into many tiny pieces. Marth took a glance at the floor before looking at the siblings; they both were blasting cold energy out the window; holding the position from the birds.

Pope turned his head towards the blue hair, giving a quick wink before focusing on the ghouls; Marth also gave a quick nod before slicing apart any stray birds that got through, protecting the climbers from potential harm.

Lastly, Lucario was firing blast of aura at the birds, fairing his own. Despite how efficient he was at destroying the monsters, he was getting overwhelmed. He called back to the rest of the team, shouting _"There's too many coming from this side, I need help!"_

However the only Smashers available were Wii Fit and Brawler; the others were too focused on their respective position.

"Oh god, I don't know how I can-" Said the instructor before being brushed past by the Mii "Move!" Shouted the fist-fighter, as he joined the jackal in protecting the backside of the elevator.

With a combination of Lucario's aura abilities, and Brawler's strength; they managed to keep the ghouls at bay. However one lone bird had evaded the two Smashers, landing in middle of the cab's floor.

Wii Fit Trainer yelps in fear as she backed up against the doors, trembling in fright as the bird got closers. The creature was about to attack when Brawler stomped on the avian monstrosity; incapacitating it in one feel swoop.

The woman then took a sigh of relief; thankful that the ghoul was now gone. When the Smashers realized that all the birds have been terminated, they realized that they had passed the first floor, and was now reaching the second.

"Oh thank god that's over; I was worried that we were done for!" Said Wii Fit; wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"What the hell was that?!" Brawler said disapprovingly; folding his arms in anger.

"Huh?"

"Why did you freeze up?" The fist-fighter picked up the bird, the creature appearing dead within his hands. "This little freak of nature was about to tear into you like a fleshy piñata. We're you actually going to stand there and let it have its way with you? Come On!"

Wii Fit began to feel a bit nervous from Brawler's tone, she was about to respond when the Mii continued talking. "I know it's your first day and all, but seriously! Stop being a scardy cat and get a damn grip!"

" _BRAWLER!"_ Shouted Lucario; fuming with outrage. _"Leave Wii Fit alone; she's just frightened; not to mention she is still new to this world!"_

"So was I. I literally hadto fight for my life, right after I was born!" Said Brawler; making the Newcomer confused. "What? You think I'm harassing her or something? That's not what I'm doing at all"

" _Then what is it, Brawler?"_ Questioned Mewtwo; sounding condescending whether he knew it or not.

Brawler clenched his teeth in anger as he continued his rant. "I'm trying to show her the reality of the situation, this is not something you can just sugar coat!" If you don't show them the cold hard truth of the matter, they'll never grow, they'll never mature, and they'll never adapt to this freak show of a world!"

" _You have a point there, but that still doesn't excuse how you treated her right now! She literally just came to existence, you expect her to know all this stuff, to embrace this world by day 1? That's not how it works! She needs to learn how to crawl before she can walk! Besides, I doubt she'll take you seriously with your sour attitude. A lot of people are infuriated with you, and yet you wonder why no one likes you! You have a short fuse! You need to calm the hell down!"_ Said Mewtwo.

"First of all; this isn't some bad attitude, this is my true nature. Deal with it!" Fired back the fist-fighter. "Second, I'm showing her what could've had happen if no one had stepped in! She could have easily overpowered this dumb thing, but instead she just surrendered for no reason. That's. Just. Stupid!"

"In order to survive in this world; you got to put your head on straight, not lose it every time when it becomes scary!" Ranted Brawler; tossing the bird out of the elevator.

" _Brawler, listen. I-"_ Spoke the canine before he was interrupted by the elevator cab suddenly stopping, taking all the Smashers by surprise. _"We'll continue this later!"_ The Pokémon said to Brawler before turning to Snake. _"What happened, why did we stop?!"_

The solider pressed the button a few more times before turning to the jackal, "I think it's broken; we on the second floor."

"How are we going to get up there now!?" Questioned Nana.

Popo observed the surface of the dam; there was a large assortment of cracks, pipes, and rope on or near the wall; which gave the sibling an idea. "Climb it."

"What?" Replied his sister.

"We can climb it!" Reasserted Popo; pointing over towards the dam. "We grab onto the objects on the wall! It'll be fool-proof!"

"I wouldn't say its fool-proof, but it's the best option we have right now. What do you guys say?"

The fighters were hesitant, not wanting to take the risk of falling off; but then they heard more cracks from up above, to which Lucario finally responded. _"Got no other choice. Snake! Open up the doors!"_

The solider nodded and pressed the button; sliding the doors apart. When the doors open, skeletons were scattered on the scaffolding on the side of the dam. They immediate riled with rage upon seeing the fighters, to which the shambled towards them with arms out and teeth opened.

"More ghouls!" Shouted Snake; reloading his pistol in hand. "We don't have the time to deal with them! Make a run for it!" All the trophies sprang to the action; sprinting pass the monsters, occasionally attacking or incapacitating stray ghouls that dare to get close.

Upon gripping their fingers onto the wall, pipes, and bolts; they began to pick their bodies up as they used their strength to reach the target. Strain was felt through each of them as they continued to climb.

Down below, the skeletons were gathering up, extending their bony hands at the adventurers, fortunately the fighters were out of reach to be grabbed by the ghouls.

 _Except for one._

A single skeleton took a hold of Wii Fit Trainer's Right ankle; attempting to bring her down. The woman screamed with panic, desperately shaking to get the monster off of her, but she was unsuccessful. The monster pulled harder, getting her closer to the ungodly horde, she thought her life was done for until-

*KLANG*

A metal ball slammed into the skull of the monsters; the creature was incapacitated as it let go of the Newcomer; allowing her to be free.

She went up a couple of feet before taking a few fast-paced breaths, once she calmed down, she looked up above. She saw Brawler; grabbing on to a pipe with on hand and carrying a metal ball with the other. When he noticed she was okay, he dematerialized the ball in his hand and spoke to her. "Come on!" He shouted; climbing further as the instructor followed behind.

The Smashers climbed for around 5 minutes; but they were only halfway to the third floor; the cracks were getting larger than before, sprays of contaminated water and chunks of concrete rained down below; if they didn't do anything soon, the dam will surely be broken.

"We can't reach to the top at this pace!" Said Marth "The damage is too far away!" There's got to be something we're not seeing. Does anyone see anything that might help us?"

"What could we possibly find on the side of the dam, Marth! " Asked Brawler.

"I don't know, anything would be helpful at this point. Just search!"

Lucario took the swordsman's advice and looked around, to his luck; he did find something that'll be useful. A long study rope was hanging behind the Smashers; starting from the bottom, it was tied to a big bolt that was screwed In the wall beneath the fighters.

Following the trail, the canine could clearly that it was roped around the railing of scaffolding on the third floor; on the very end of the rope, a large piece of concrete was attached to the bundle of string; presumably a piece of the dam that had fallen off before hand. Upon seeing this, Lucario knew in his mind what he had to do.

He leapt from the rock wall; he seemed to fly into the air as he grabbed a hold onto the rope. Once the canine had a firm grasp, he looked towards the Ice Climbers and said _"Climbers! Quick, get on the rope!"_

"What?!" Replied Popo "Why?!"

" _No time to explain! Just do it!"_

The twins obeyed the Pokémon and jumped onto the cord; hanging just above the blue jackal. Lucario then looked down below at Marth, who was looking at them with confusion.

" _Marth! Cut the rope now!"_

The prince, in any normal circumstance would have questioned what the animal was planning; but because they were running out of time, he went along with it. The veteran pulled out his sword with a free hand and sliced the bottom of the rope with one quick swipe.

Upon being cut, the concrete chunk plummeted to the ground. As it was falling, Lucario and the twins were rising; the downward force of the rock was pulling the fighters up to their destination; getting closer and closer to the cracked area.

"Ahhhh!" Screamed the Ice Climbers; being surprised with the force of speed their bodies were being accelerating at. Meanwhie, Lucario was calm; focusing his sight on the third floor. Once they came to a close distance; the canine warned the two siblings.

" _Ice Climbers! We're almost to the third floor! Get ready to grab the railing!"_

Despite the amount of adrenaline and stress the Eskimos were going through right now, they understood what the Pokémon was saying; they gave him a give nod, as they prepared their bodies.

They were almost a feet from the third floor; the scaffolding coming at them at record speeds.

" _JUMP!"_ shouted Lucario, at they leaped off from the rope, using their double jump to grab onto the thick railing of the big metal platform. The concrete block that contribute to their momentum crashed into the walkway of the second floor; sending it, and the skeletons to the ground.

The three veterans pulled themselves onto the scaffolding, when they were able to stand on solid ground; the twins immediately sprang into action. The siblings began to hold hands, extending each of their free arms at the cracks; streams of cold air and energy flowing free from their palms.

The temperature of the dam was decreasing dramatically; patches of frost were forming on the hard concrete. Within a matter of seconds, a thick layer of ice covered the cracks; sealing the damage. After the twins were done, it was Lucario's turn. He pressed his paw's against the frozen water; pouring his own aura into the make-shift barrier.

The process took a strain on the Pokémon, but he did indeed complete his task. The ice began to glow with blue hue as it radiated a kind welcoming energy. Once the Veterans knew that they were no longer in any danger, they took a deep breath; slumping to the floor in pure exhaustion.

It was only 10 minutes when the rest of the Smashers joined up with Lucario, Nana, and Popo. They climbed over the railing, with all of them clearly anxious. "Hey guys!" Shouted the Wii Fit Trainer; sweat dripping from her forehead. "Guys! What happened? Did we stop the dam from breaking?"

The jackal pushed himself off the ground to meet the eyes of his fellow trophies. _"Not to worry Miss Fit. We took care of that; the world is saved once again."_ The canine gestured to the icy barrier. The fighters who had just climbed to the third floor sighed in relief; feeling more relaxed that it was all over.

"How the hell did this happened?!" Questioned Brawler, feeling quite irritated. "Why was there an explosion on the dam in the first place?"

"It must have been that device that was attached to the wall." Replied Snake.

"But who would do such a thing?" Questioned Nana.

"Yeah! Why did someone want to bomb this place?" Commented Popo.

"I don't know, Ice Climbers. Let's just be glad that we stopped a major disaster from happening." Marth was going to continue talking, when he boot stepped on something hard. He looked down to see that there were shards of metal and glass on the grating; all covered in a blue stick substance.

"Is that pieces of the bomb?" Said the instructor; as Mewtwo used his telekinesis to lift the pieces off the ground, observing it in great detail, all the broken junk appeared to be insignificant, except for one large shard that caught his eye.

" _Gentleman, you may want to take a look at this."_

"Did you find something Mewtwo?" Asked the prince.

" _Yeah, a clue to who may have planted this bomb."_ He rotated the pieces to the team; pointing to some words that were printed in black on the scrapped metal.

 _ **PROPERTY OF FW**_

 _ **INVENTOR OF TESSERACT**_

"Who is FW?" Said the pink Eskimo

"No doubt the bastard who cause this mess!" Replied the fist-fighter.

"Wait!" Said Marth, "Does anyone actually know who this FW character actually is?"

"Nope. This is the first time I heard that name." Answered Snake.

"'First time you heard that name'? Don't you guys live here? Shouldn't you know what happens on your own world?" Sharply asked the Mii.

" _We're not 'all-knowing' Brawler; some things pass our radar, our home computer back at base could only do so much."_ Said Lucario, after he was done talking to him, he took a plastic baggy from Snake's backpack, and put the slimy shards inside. _"We can worry about who the culprit is later; we need to get back home so we can analyze the evidence. Hopefully that will give us some results."_

"Okay. That's great and all, but how are we going to get out of this hell hole?" Said Brawler; looking over the railing. "The elevator is broken, and a swarm of those freaks have gathered down below. Unless you want to have your ass torn to pieces, I suggest we search for another exit. Does anyone have any bright ideas?

"How about over there?" Spoke the instructor; pointing to the path that was on the scaffolding. "Maybe we get out this way!"

"Will that work, Snake?" Questioned Marth.

The solider was rubbing his chin in thought; he stay liked this for a moment before he nodded. "Actually it might. This dam is connected to the tunnel. If we just continue to walk on this platform, we'll have a high chance of escaping here in one piece."

"Well then! What are we waiting for? Let's be like Librarians and book it!" the blue Eskimo happily exclaimed. The fighters began to tread on the metal grating; continuing their journey.

Brawler was about to walk along when he saw something glowing on the floor. The light was barely visible but the Mii did indeed notice it with his two eyes. He picked up the item with fingers and brought it close to his face.

The object in questioned appeared to be a small red sphere, about the size of a marble. It gave off a hue had a similar appearance to fire; feeling warm to the touch without the effect of being burnt. The Newcomer examined the ball more until a voice call out for him.

" _Brawler, pick up the pace! You're going to be left behind!"_

"I'm coming Lucario! Just give me a second!" Hollered the fist-fighter, he put the mysterious object in his back pocket. Once he secured the item in his pants, he did a slight jog to catch up with the rest of the group.


	15. Chapter 15: Rest

**Chapter 15: Rest**

 _Lucario, Snake, Marth, Mewtwo, Ice Climbers, Wii Fit Trainer, and Brawler followed the path until they came back to the tunnel. The fighters had took off their gas masks and rode the tram back to HQ; when they arrived back home, they immediately went to Dr. Mario's office, where they were examined for contamination. They await their results._

* * *

Dr. Mario was asking Nana to open her mouth wide open; swapping the inside of her cheek with a cotton swab. When he was done, he put the wad into a test tube; swirling it around in a crystal-clear fluid.

"Why is he swabbing our spit into those tubes?" Whispered the instructor.

" _He's testing whether we are sick or not."_ Replied Mewtwo.

"How?"

" _See the fluid inside the glass? That's a chemical solution created by the Doc himself. You see, we may or may not have been infected by Tox Fall's Pollution; there are no visible side effects to determine if someone has the sickness. The only way to detect contamination is to introduce a sample of the subject's bodily fluids into the solution. It'll change colors depending on the result. If it stay's clear; you're safe. It turns yellow; it means you're positive."_

"Oh no." Groaned the Woman. "Why couldn't I have realized I was mediating in a nuclear wasteland?! I could have been serious danger. I was so stupid.

" _Don't beat yourself up Fit."_ Said Lucario. _"You were hallucinating under the effects of the pollution. Your senses were being manipulated, it wasn't your fault."_

"No it's not that Lucario, it's-"

"Excuse Me!" Interrupted the physician "I'm in the a middle of testing this a sample, Silence is much a needed in such a procedure. Do you mind?"

"Sorry." Said Wii Fit as the doctor continued his work.

After several moments of swirling the swab inside the tube, he found that the solution had remained unchanged. After he was done, he settled the glass near the other 6 samples, all of which were crystal-clear.

"It's a official!" Said Dr. Mario "All of you negative for the sickness."

The Smashers in the room took a sigh of relief; being glad that they remain in healthy condition. "That was too close to comfort!" Commented Brawler; stretching his arms. "Not only did those freak skeletons almost took us down; but the dam was seconds away from being destroyed!"

"I agree. That was possibly one of the most tenses moments of my life." Said Popo.

"Yeah. So why the hell is that place still allowed to exist?" Said the fist-fighter, hopping of the examining table. If that area has ability to cause so much damage. Then why not just get rid of it. Seems like a better plan than just to leave it alone. Now that sounds stupid."

"Trust me Brawler, we tried." Snake told the Mii; lighting a cigarette. "There's a vast concentration of pollution and radiation inside the plant. It's impossible to purify it with the current technology we have; not to mention that are ghouls lurking around every corner. Removal is physically impossible, so instead, we settle with containment. It's was the best alternative we had."

"Ugh, of course there's no solution!" Complained Brawler. "That would have been too easy!"

"Let's just be thankful we sealed the dam in time." Marth told the Newcomer. "I couldn't imagine what would have happened if we failed."

Right after the prince was finished talking, three new fighters entered the room: a red plumber, an armored woman, and an anthropomorphic fox. "We came down as soon as we heard." Said Samus. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're A-OK!" Replied the blue Eskimo. "We tested negative for the sickness!"

"That's a relief." Said Mario, adjusting his red cap.

"We also heard from R.O.B that the dam over by Tox Falls almost broke today, but you guys put a stop to it." Said Fox. "Was that true?"

" _That was indeed true."_ Spoke Lucario. _"We were only seconds away from the whole thing collapsing, only saving the day with the skin of our teeth. If we wasted anymore time. The whole region would have been done for."_

"Oh Mama Mia!" Cried the plumber. "That's sounds a terrible, how could this a happen?!"

"Yeah I agree." Said Samus. "That dam. Despite how old is; is one of the strongest structures in the world. How did it exactly break?"

"Someone one tried to bomb it!" Replied Nana. "The explosion was so powerful it pushed us back!"

"Bomb?" Spoke Mario.

"Yes, a bomb." The solider told the plumber, taking another breath of his cigarette. "After we met up with the Newcomer, we saw that someone planted an explosive of some kind on the outer walls of the dam."

"You saw the a culprit?" Butted the doctor.

"Not really." Answered Marth. "The device was already set in place when we got there, and was activated when we were present in the area."

"But why would someone do that?" Questioned Fox. "There is nothing to gain from destroying the dam, all that would do is cause an environmental crisis!"

"Perhaps that was the point." Said Samus. "Maybe our suspect goal was to cause as much damage as possible. This world is the center of the Omniverse after all; it's connected to everything."

" _Are you implying that our bomber wanted to destroy the WOT, effectively ending existence as we know it?"_ Said Mewtwo.

"It's not that far-fetched." Answered the bounty hunter. "We had our fair share of gods and tyrants who wanted to destroy or take over this realm for themselves in the past. Blowing up the dam wouldn't end the WOT by itself, but it would've certainly harmed it.

"Well, how does one exactly destroy the WOT?" Said the Brawler.

" _There are a variety of ways to end the WOT."_ The blue canine said to the fist-fighter. _"Most of them requires physically damaging the planet to the point where it becomes inhabitable or corrupting the entire realm with evil or dark energy, but there many possibilities to choose from for such and ungodly plan."_

"And if I was psychopath that wanted to end the world as quickly as possible, that's the first step I would take." Spoke Samus.

"Now hold on a second." Said the fox as he butted in the conversation. "We don't know if that's the case. A bomb was purposely planted on the dam, yes. But it could just be a one-off incident. It's not wise to jump to conclusions." The canine turned his head to the expedition team and said. "Did you find, or see anything at Tox Falls? Something that might give us a lead on why this happened?"

"Actually, for a matter a fact we did." Replied Marth. "Before we left the plant, we found some pieces that were left over from the explosion. We took it with us in hopes that we can analyze it for any clues. "

"Well, can we see it?" Questioned the bounty hunter.

Snake pulled out the baggy from his backpack that was lying on the floor, to which he gave to the armored woman.

"That's what's a left of the bomb?" Spoke the plumber. "Why is it a glowing?"

" _It's glowing because it's covered in a liquid that is capable of generate luminescence."_ The psychic Pokémon told Mario. _"According to Snake, that substance was contained inside the bomb. I don't know of its exact compound, but if I had to take a guess, I have to say it's a gel of some kind."_

"Very Peculiar." Said the fox that was examining the baggy. "Anything else?"

"There was a name on one of the scraps!" Spoke the sister.

"Yeah! It was all written in black ink." Said the brother.

"A name?" Questioned Mario.

" _Yes, there was a tag on one of the pieces."_ Explained Lucario _"It didn't give us much to go on, but it was better than nothing."_

"Well don't just a stand there!" Said Dr. Mario, being very curious. "Don't keep us waiting, spill the beans already!"

" _Alright then. According to the scripture, this bomb was owned by someone called FW, inventor of something called: Tesseract. Does any of that seem familiar to you?"_

"Nope." Said the Doctor.

"Never heard of it." Replied Mario.

"Don't think so." Answered Fox.

"First time I ever heard of it." Spoke Samus.

" _So you don't know either? Hmm this might go deeper than we thought."_ Said the jackal. He was looking off to the side, very engrossed in his own thoughts.

"So what do we do now?" Replied Wii Fit, joining the conversation despite not knowing what's going on.

It was a few moments before the aura Pokémon responded, but when he did, a sense of confidence soared through his body, being ready to handle the task at hand. _"We need to get to the bottom of this. Even if the chances are slim of it being an attack on the WOT, we cannot just dismiss it outright. The last thing we need is another Subspace Emissary incident."_

Lucario turned to Fox, Samus, and Mario; standing there expectantly as they wait to what he had to say. _"We need to investigate this as soon as possible, do you 3 think you can analyze the pieces of the bomb, as well as to search anything in our files that might give us more insight on the FW character? Can I trust you all with that?"_

"You can count on us!" Replied the bounty hunter. "We'll get on it, first thing in the morning."

" _Glad you're up for the task."_ Said Lucario, the canine was about to continue when he had a sudden realization, he took a quick peek at Wii Fit Trainer before rotating hid head back to Samus.

" _Hey. I'm sorry to ask you of this, but I need to request a favor."_

"What is it?" Said Samus.

" _We rescued another Smasher today, and all of us know that the policy requires informing The Newcomer about everything. I also know that we usually decide on who gets to go by doing the lottery, but everyone is usually in bed at this time at night. And we've been through a tremendous amount of stress in the last few hours. So do you think you three can do the honors?"_

"Lottery?" Brawler whispered to Snake.

"Pulling names out of a hat; pretty basic."

"Ah."

"Usually I would decline and wait for the lottery, but I can see that the whole incident with the dam has put a lot of strain on all of you. So I'll accept your offer." Answered Samus. "Fox. Mario. Would any of you be kind to assist me?"

"Of course, I'll be happy to assist." Said Fox.

"Might as we come a long." Replied Mario.

"Okay, let's get this started." the bounty hunter said to herself as she walked in Wii Fit's direction. "Hello there, you must be the one they call: Wii Fit, Correct?" The Female Veteran said to the Newcomer.

The mannequin-like woman looked at the armored Smasher, observing every detail of her appearance before speaking. "Yes, that's my name."

"It's nice to be of acquaintance. I'm Samus, and these two behind me are Fox and Mario; we were wondering if you would like to come with us for a little chat."

"Why?" Said the instructor, feeling very uncomfortable. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not at all, we hoping if we can answer your questions, I guessing you have no idea what's going on right?"

"Oh yes, Please! I so much to ask. Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here?"

"Trust me, sweetheart. I'll answer your questions in due time." Samus turned to the exploration team, and asked "You should all go to bed, we'll have a long day tomorrow."

Everyone except doctor nodded and exited the room; closing the door behind them as they left Samus, Fox, and Mario to deal with telling Wii Fit the reality of her situation.

"Well gentleman." Said Marth. "I think we can all agree that today was absolutely crazy."

"No kidding." Replied Snake. "Not only did we save the world from being flooded with pollution, but now we have with possibility of the WOT being attacked? Today just can't get any worse."

" _Hopefully that's not the case."_ Said Lucario _"Let's wait till tomorrow to figure this out. Samus and her friends will analyze the evidence and search the records to find anything that might help us on finding this 'FW'. And now that I think about, we should assist R.O.B. with creating a new Generator. It'll be gratefully to have an extra boost of power in the long haul."_

"Yeah it sure would." Answered Snake, before he finished the last of his cigarette. "Now that we're done for the day, we should all go to bed. Its past midnight, and we're going to need all the rest we can get for the morning. I'll see all you when the sun rises. Goodnight!"

Everyone said fare ware to each other as they left to go to their separate rooms. Lucario and Snake were about to leave when the jackal suddenly realized what he promised himself earlier to do. _"Snake, why don't you go on ahead? I need to have a chat with Brawler."_

The solider nodded, heaving his backpack over his shoulders as he put his finished cigarette in a nearby ashtray. Disappearing down the hall. The canine then caught up with the fist-fighter; exhaustion and tiredness becoming much more visible on his face.

" _Brawler, you got a second?"_

The Mii stopped. Closing his eyes and taking a breath. He faced the Pokémon, asking "This is about what happened on the elevator isn't it?"

" _Unfortunately so."_

"What about it?"

" _Why did you go off on Wii Fit? You were way too harsh. I know she froze up on that enemy but that didn't justify on going off on her like a nuclear bomb."_

"I was pissed to how she reacted. I mean come on! The woman was just about to stand there and let the freak of nature tear her apart. You can't do that crap when you're on the sidelines of an actual battle or war. Not only is it cowardly, I find it to be pretty selfish."

" _She was confused and scared Brawler."_ Said Lucario. _"Wii Fit was literally born into this world and was immediately attacked by freighting skeletons and ghoulish birds! She probably doesn't have the skills to deal with these sort of situations. I mean what would you have done if you were in her position?"_

"Stomp the featherless freak with my boots and continued to be an asshole?" Deadpanned the fist-fighter."

" _Okay. Bad example, but you get my point! Do you honestly think that Wii Fit is truly at fault here? Do you?"_

Brawler huffed quietly from his throat as he looked away from the jackal. He didn't want to say it, but Lucario had a point. Based on the Newcomer's clothes, she appeared to be an exercise coach of some sort. If that was true, then it would explain why Wii Fit acted the way she did. Her Mind probably shut down from the amount of stress she's been receiving.

Still. He didn't approve of Wii Fit's handling of that monster, but hopefully that was a one-time thing and she'll toughen up to fight the good fight. _**Hopefully.**_ Of course, Brawler would never admit this to Lucario, his personality would never allow it. So instead. He stayed silent.

" _There's something else I wanted to ask you about."_ The Pokemon told the Mii. _"When you talked down to Wii Fit, my aura sensors picked up on your emotions. I felt anger and annoyance, which I expected. But I saw something else: Sadness and Worry. Why?"_

Brawler demeanor changed from bitterness to weariness. For what reason is beyond Lucario; even with his empathic abilities, it was difficult to decipher what he was seeing.

"I don't know." Replied the Newcomer. "When I saw the instructor giving up, something lit up inside me. Like a piece of machinery that hadn't been turned on in a very long time."

" _Do you think it has something to do with your past?"_

"I don't know." Answered the fist-fighter. "Perhaps something happened in my life to make me act this way or maybe I'm finding a new piece about me that I never knew before. I'll never know because this damn amnesia won't allow me to remember!"

" _Don't fret Brawler."_ The aura Pokémon said to his friend. _"Those memories of yours may have been forgotten, but not erased. It's still in there, you just need to search for it have hope."_

"Yeah, well I'm not holding my breath. 'Cause if I did, I'll die from asphyxiation." Brawler said, cracking his neck as he went down the corridor. "Catch you around." The Newcomer said to the jackal as he took a turn over to the right.

Lucario felt very mixed about this Smasher. On one hand, he appears to be hateful to the world around him, a guy who carries a lot of weight on his shoulder. On the other, he appears to be very unhappy, exhaustion plaguing his aura like rust on a once well-maintained car. What could had happen to him to make him act like this? There's got to be a reason for this.

Lucario was deep in his thoughts when he gave out a yawn. _'I'm too tired to think properly, I need to rest. I just put this on this on my ever-growing To-Do list.'_ The canine then walked in the direction where Snake went earlier. Leaving the hallway dead quiet once more. With the only sound penetrating it, is Wii Fit Trainer's cries from the doctor's office.

* * *

 **Hey, guys. I got something to tell you. I have a huge math exam coming soon so I need to study for the rest this week and next week. I will try to type more stories in between whiles studying so I got that going for me. If you have any questions you want me to answer personally. Just be PM me**

 **Till next time.**


	16. Chapter 16: Complications

**Chapter 16: Complications**

Sounds of clanking and whirling could be heard from all around the command room. The grey robot was putting the finishing touches on Smash Palace's new generator, using a drill and hammer to secure the frame of machine; with both hands simultaneously.

The device that was currently being worked looked like a hula hoop of some sort; the length and height being around 5 feet, each. Its material was made completely of copper, glass, and wires; having the appearance of a futuristic bubble wand. Inside the inner rim was a series of Tesla Coils, all pointing to the very center of the ring. The metallic circle was attached the very top of an electronic box, that was linked up to a plethora of cables, all of which that are connected to the entirety of the mansion's power grid.

When R.O.B. was certain that he was finished, he laid the tools on a nearby table as he faced two of his assistants: Ness and Falco.

"[After hours of relentless work, I can safely say that the generator is now complete.]" Said the robot.

The bird whistled in amazement of the device. "Gotta hand it to you R.O.B, I'm impressed. It was worth skipping the meeting. You said you built this over an entire day?"

"[Yes. But not from scratch. The majority of the parts I used were from the mansion's old solar panels. I didn't have the resources to make to a completely new one. Still, looks okay if I do say so myself.]"

"Looks okay? R.O.B, this is Amazing! I never seen a machine so cool!" ecstatically said the child, his lips curled into a delightful smile.

"[It looks fantastic, yes. But that won't mean anything if we can't get it to function. The pieces are in their respective places, all we need now is a reliable power source.]"

"How are we going to do that?" Replied the avian fighter.

"[See that ring over there?]" Said R.O.B. "[It's designed in such a way that it can capture, and harness the power of any energy that goes through it.]"

"So it absorbs it?" Questioned Ness.

"[Not quite. It doesn't simply absorb the energy. Let me give you example.]" Continued the Robot. "[Let's say Mario tossed a fireball through the hoop. First, the projectile would be held in place by the generator's continuous magnetic pull. Next come the coils; it have two main functions.]"

"And that is?" Prodded Falco.

"[One. It can absorb excess power from any energy-based substance, converting it into electricity for the mansion. And two. It emits a steady amount of psychic energy; courtesy of Mewtwo.]"

"Psychic energy?" Said Falco.

"Why would that be necessary?" Asked the boy.

"[It's necessary because not only does it amplify the effects of any type of energy; it can allow the said energy to maintains its form. Essentially making it as a make-shift battery.]"

"So as long as we throw something energy-based inside of it; we'll be good on power?" Said the amused bird. "That's pretty useful."

"[Well we can't just put _anything_ inside of it.]" Continued R.O.B. "[This mansion consumes a lot of electricity, simply charging the energy with a bit psychic power doesn't provide enough to be sustainable.]"

"[So in order to make a profit, we need to overcharge the battery with a ton of psychic energy; giving us a permanent supply of electricity.]"

"Is that the only problem?" Said Ness.

"[Unfortunately no. The energy has to be durable enough to even contain such power. If it can't hold it; the energy will either fade away, or give out a small explosion. It really depends on the type.]"

"Explode!?" Shouted Ness. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah that doesn't sound safe." Said Falco.

"[Don't worry.]" Assured the robot. "[I'll conduct the tests in that glass box over there; it's bullet proof.]" Robot pointed to the middle of the room, which where there as indeed a small cage, completely made out of glass. The only way in was a large metal door on of the sides of the clear cube.

"[Not to mention, that the machine's magnetic pulses can prevent the energy from touching it, so there's no worry of it being damaged.]"

"Okay, that's fine I guess." Said the bird. "So how are we going to do this?"

"[It comes down to trial and error. We need to gather all of the Smashers that have any energy-based projectiles, and try each and every last one of their attacks until we find the one that's a suitable candidate for the generator. To start off, I think we should use Ness's PK Flash, Are you okay with that?]" R.O.B. asked the psychic boy.

"Um, sure. I don't mind!"

"[Alright then, Just let me put this thing in the cage. Then you can hit it with your attack. Start when I say "Go".]" The robot told his assistants as he pushed the Generator into the glass cube. When he was done moving it. The Smasher positioned himself near the door, laying his hands onto it as he said the words: "[GO!]"

Almost immediately, Ness crouched to the ground as he tensed up his muscles. "PK FLASH!" He shouted, as a big ball of green light materialized over his head. The sphere began to move on its own accord; right towards the box.

When it was inside the cage, R.O.B. slammed the door close. Hurrying over to the two fighters as they observed the results. The moment it came in contact with the generator; the ball of light became trapped inside the ring of the copper machine.

The coils were pumping huge amounts of psychic energy into the green sphere; making it shine brighter with life.

"Oh wow! It's getting stronger. We might get it on the first try!" Said Falco.

The projectile suddenly became erratic: its color change from lime to turquoise as shifting its brightness from dull to bright. Making a noticeable cracking sound which produced a sense of uneasiness from the three trophies.

"Is it supposed to be acting like that?" Questioned Ness.

"[No. Not at all.]" Said R.O.B; shaking with fear.

The ball of light began to grow in size, covering the world in a haze of green.

"TAKE COVER!" Shouted Falco. He flipped over a nearby steel table, allowing the Smashers to hide behind metal shield. The brightness was so intense, they had to shield their eyes to prevent them from becoming blind.

They heard a loud bang…then nothing. They all opened their eyelids and looked back at the glass cage. Ness's PK FLASH had disappeared; likely collapsing into nothingness from all the psychic power. There was nothing in there, except the generator. Which appears to be in one piece.

"Huh. I figured that we would've had to brace the full-front of an explosion." Said the bird.

"[That wouldn't happen. As I said before, the glass is bullet-proof. Not even Snake's rocket launcher can bust through it. So don't worry about it.]"

"Well that's good at least."

"But we still have to deal with finding a battery!" Said Ness. "The palace's power grid depends on it!"

"[Calm down, Ness. We'll find it, just have some patience.]"

"So which attack should we do next?" Replied the bird; pulling out his blaster. "Because I'll be happy to volunteer."

"[I admire your eagerness Falco, I really do. But perhaps we should wait until we get more help from the rest of the Smashers; be easier to do it in one go than searching the entire mansion for each fighter.]"

"I think the whole roster is still having that meeting at the same place at last time." Replied the psychic boy.

"[Than that's where I'll be heading.]" The robot went to the door, opening it as he looked back at his assistants. "[I'll be gone momentary, just stay here and relax for the time being. And for the love of god! _**Don't do anything stupid.**_ ]" Hollered R.O.B; as he ran down the hallway.

"Is it me? Or did he direct that last sentence at you?" Smirked Ness.

"Shut it, kid," Said Falco; folding his arms in annoyance.

* * *

"And that's everything we know, any questions?" Asked Marth. The crowd began to murmur, they were unsure on what to think, and who could blame them. This is certainly a lot to take in. The prince thought no one was willing to respond; until he saw a large paw raised high up in the air.

"Yes DK?"

"Ooh ah he he ho oh ah?" (Are you guys certain that someone is intentionally attacking the WOT?)

"Well, we're not 100% sure." Replied the prince. "This incident happened yesterday. So it's hard to draw any patterns when it's the first incident."

"Then why are you assuming this is an attack on the world?" Said Ike.

" _Just taking precautions Bowser."_ Spoke Lucario. _"We do not know why someone would do this, or how they could pull it off in the first place. There are not many leads to go on, so we're taking all possible theories into account. We need to prepare for anything."_

"So what do we have to go on?" Said Villager.

"Well, evidence was heavily damaged from the explosion but we did manage to find a couple of clues." Answered Snake.

"And that would be?" Said an annoyed Bowser.

"We'd manage to recover what was left over from the bomb, it was covered in a liquid that we have yet to identify. Samus and her crew will handle analyzing the remaining scraps."

"That's all?" Said Pit.

" _No."_ Spoke the psychic Pokémon _"There was something inscribed on one of the pieces, it was name."_

"What type of idiot leaves their own name at the scene of the crime?" Scoffed Wolf. "It's like the culprit wants to be caught."

"Perhaps that's what the person wants" Said Sheik. "Leading us onto their trail for some nefarious purpose."

"You think that guy's that deranged?"

"It's not too far from the realm of possibility" the ninja told the canine. "After all, we'd dealt with psychopaths like this before in the past. Remember Crazy Hand?"

"Ugh." Said Wolf; rubbing his temples. "Don't even mention that nut-job. I get headaches just by thinking about him."

"Would you guys be quiet? I want to hear the name!" Said Toon, Appearing very impatient.

"Hold your horse pal, but yes. What is the name?" Said the Pokémon Trainer, being somewhat curious.

" _The name on the piece, is as follows"_ Mewtwo told the crowd, using his telekinesis to bring a piece of paper up close to his face. He began to read the contents out loud. _"_ _ **Property of FW, Inventor of Tesseract.**_ _"_

"FW?" Said a perplexed Swordfighter. "Who's that?"

"Dunno. But it sounds pretty stupid. I bet his parents hate him." Said Brawler. Resting on the largest couch he could find.

"Does that name seem familiar to anyone? Anyone?" The blond Mii said the Smashers, but was disappointed for the lack of response.

" _In any case, Samus and her friends have also been tasked with researching the mansion's files for a reference for an 'FW'. Other than that, nothing much has been going on."_ Spoke the jackal. _"Does anyone have anything to ask before we end this meeting?"_

"Yeah, I want to add a complaint!" Said a pink princess, rising from her chair. "These constant power outages are becoming very distracting. I can hardly bake a cake when the electricity blacks out. Are you guys fixing this problem?"

" _Don't worry Peach, we're taking care of it."_ Answered the aura canine. _"R.O.B is currently building a new generator for the palace. He told me it should be ready today."_ Lucario then heard something coming from outside the room. He used his aura vision to see a familiar aura speeding straight towards the door. _"Speaking of which, here he comes now."_

The door was opened with haste, revealing R.O.B, the inventor of Smash Palace. "[Sorry to intrude, I hope I'm not interrupting you or anything.]"

" _It's fine R.O.B."_ Said Lucario. _"We're just wrapping things up. Is there something you need?"_

"[Yes. It's about the generator. We hit a little snag.]"

"Define "snag"." Spoke Snake, folding up his arms.

"[We completed the device, but it won't power up until we find a battery. That's why I came here, I need assistance from all if you if that's possible.]" The robot said to the group of trophies.

"Sure thing R.O.B.!" Said Gunner. "How can we help?"

"[I need every Smasher that can produce energy to come down to the command center.]"

"Pika?" (Why?) Said Pikachu.

"[I'll explain when we get there.]" The robot told the electric mouse before turning over to the aura canine. "[And whiles we're at it. Is Samus around? I want to see if she can assist me with the generator. I believe she has some experience with this sort of thing.]"

"Sorry R.O.B." Said Marth. "But Samus is currently occupied with analyzing the evidence we got back from Tox Falls. She won't be able help you until she's done researching."

"[Oh well, its fine. Looks like I have to do myself.]" The robot said to himself before continuing. "[Let me clarify once more. To everyone that can produce energy, just head to the command center when you have the time. And for the rest that can't, you can do whatever. I'll be in the center if you need me.]"

" _Okay then."_ Spoke Mewtwo. _"Before we end this meeting, does anyone else want to add something before we end the meeting?"_

No response.

" _Alright then. Dismiss!"_

Most, if not all the fighters had gotten up and lined near the door; being very eager to leave. Snake was about to exit the door when he noticed Wii Fit Trainer sitting down in a recliner, who appeared to be very tired. Before the meeting, Lucario told him the situation regarding the instructor. She was very disheartened at the fact the she can't return home. Whiles her reaction was not as severe as Villager's; sadness still affected her morale.

"Um. Lucario." Said the solider, getting the attention of the jackal. "You go on ahead. I need to take care of something first."

" _What do you…oh."_ The aura Pokémon said, before noticing the pale Newcomer. _"I see, take all the time you need."_ Lucario replied before exiting the room. Snake then walked over to the woman, who appeared to be in her own little world.

"Wii Fit."

"Hm?" Answered the yoga trainer, who was now taken out of her thoughts.

"Are you doing alright?" Asked the serviceman.

"Oh…yeah! I'm doing fine." Replied Wii Fit, she tried her best to hide her despondency. But Snake could see right through it.

"You don't _look_ fine."

"I don't need you to tell me how I look, so back off!" Shouted Wii Fit, rising up from the chair. Her outburst surprised Snake, who took a step back on instinct.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean that." Said the instructor, now feeling regret. "Things have been so stressful lately, didn't even get much sleep last night."

"I understand." Said the solider, relaxing his stance. "With everything that has been happening last night, you have every right to be upset."

"I guess I do. Just wish I had the right to be at peace." The Newcomer told the Veteran, walking over to a coffee machine to get a warm, energizing cup of Joe.

 _Peace._

That word set off a light bulb in his brain, to which Snake asked "Hey Fit, You're a yoga instructor right?"

"Yes, but not just yoga." Said the mannequin-like woman, taking a sip from her coffee. "I've become well-versed in different types of physical fitness, developed a compassion over it, actually."

"Well I'm asking because we happen to have a gym in this palace." Said Snake. "There's a large assortment of treadmills, weights, mats; everything you need for the perfect workout. You should give it a try, I heard exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress."

Wii Fit gave what appeared to be a faint smile. "You know what, I think I will." Said the woman before chugging down her drink, putting her mug on the counter. She was about to leave when the solider called out to her.

"Fit. You shouldn't keep this all to yourself. It's not healthy. There are people in here that'll be more than happy to help you out, you just need to open up."

"Sure thing, Snake." Said the Newcomer, her voice sounding less confident, and more skeptical. "I have to go now, I'll see you later." The solider and the instructor waved good bye; with the latter exiting the room and closing the door behind her. Leaving the Veteran all by himself.

* * *

 **Crystal Brick, Here! Managed to squeeze this chapter in my study sessions. The exam has been postponed till next week, which is a good thing.**

 **And don't be shy to leave a review, i'm always looking to improve.**

 **Till Next time.**


	17. Chapter 17: Motivation

**Chapter 17: Motivation**

In the laboratory, research was being made. Samus and Fox were analyzing the shards; more specifically, the blue liquid that covered the metal, putting it onto a petri dish as they slid it into a microscope, the device taking scans as they two space pilots waited.

Meanwhiles. Jigglypuff, Bowser, and Gunner were cross-referencing the name: FW, in the palace's books and digital files, studying everything word-from-word. "Ugh! I can't take it!" Complained Bowser. "I've already started reading and it feels like my brain is going to leak out. Why are we hitting the books whiles you two get the easy job?"

"Jiggly!" (Yeah!)

"Because, Samus and I are more familiar with these machines than most of the Smashers." Replied Fox. "Not to mention the fact, that both of you are being punished for causing the mess in Nook's store. All of carnage happened because you two just had to roughhouse."

"That's not what happened!" The turtle said defiantly. "It was just a huge misunderstanding!"

"Oh, trust me, I understand what happened." Said Samus. "Zero Suit, told me everything I need to know. You're lucky the group escaped unharmed from that swarm. God help you if those butterflies actually caught you."

"Bite me."

"Huh?" Gunner was distracted from reading, listening to what the armored woman was saying. "What are you talking about, you were there."

"I beg your pardon?" Questioned the bounty hunter.

"When we went into town to buy a gift for Villager, you accompanied us for the trip, don't you remember?"

"Ah. I see what you mean." Said the woman, now realizing what the Mii was referring to. "It wasn't me; that was someone else."

"Oh! So is she your twin sister then?"

"Nope. She's not me, but a different me." Samus smiling behind her visor.

"What?" Stammered Gunner. "How-"

"Gunner, you remember that Smashers are just creatures that have been copied from other worlds correct?"

"Yes?" Answered the mii, not sure where this is going.

"Well sometimes, the WOT can copy the same person again, but in a different state."

"Different state?"

"Yep." Said Fox. "You know Young and Link?"

"Sure I do, I don't know them that well, but I am aware of their existence."

"You'll be surprise to know that they're technically the same person. Young, like his name implies, is just younger version of Link; same universe, different time periods."

"You're serious?!" Said Gunner, being very surprised.

"I'm serious." Replied Samus. "The same thing is similar with me and Zero Suit; except that she has a Taser gun instead of armor. I also believe Zelda and sheik are the same person, just with different outfits and powers."

"Wow! I never realized." Spoke the Mii. "Are there anymore Smashers like that?"

"Only one more." Huffed Bowser. "There's Mario and Dr. Mario; one's a stupid dirty plumber; and the other is a stupid dirty plumber who is also a doctor. Both of them are equally cancerous."

"I thought you and Mario made up after the Subspace Emissary?" Said Samus.

"Just because we aren't enemies anymore, does not mean I can't hold a grudge." State the turtle.

"What am I going to do with you?" Said the bounty hunter, face-palming her visor.

"Dismiss me from my reading duties?" Sarcastically said Bowser.

"Not a chance." The fox told the Koopa. "You going to sit there and study those files, Mario is bringing more books from the library, so don't think you're gonna speed through this."

"Did someone say my a name?" Spoke a voice with a familiar Italian accent. Everyone turned around to see Mario and Diddy Kong walking into the lab; pushing a cart of books with their arms."

""Hello Mario, nice of you to join us." Said Samus

"My a pleasure!" Said the plumber, Whiles he and the monkey were setting up the books, he noticed Gunner. Upon seeing her, he asked "Oh a Gunner, didn't expect to see you a here. What brings you to the a lab, shouldn't you be in the a command center with the a others?"

"I asked R.O.B. if I can help out with the research before doing the generator." Explained the girl. "I'm always looking forward to learn new things!"

"That's a nice!"

"So Mario." Spoke the Fox. "Did digging into those old bookshelves reveal anything about our guy?"

"As a matter a fact I did!" Said the Italian, surprising anyone.

"Really!"

"No way!"

"Jiggly jig gig?!" (You actually found something?!"

"Yep." The plumber said, whiles pulling something from the cart. "Found it a hiding in the a science section; it appears to be a very old."

"So what is it?" Questioned Gunner.

"It's a book about alternate dimensions, the multiverse, Schrodinger cat; stuff like that." Answered the plumber, dusting the cover from the dust that was plaguing it

"And it's important because?" Said Bowser, a frown clearly visible on his face.

"Because this book was written by…" Continued Mario, as he flipped over the front cover; pointing to the very bottom of the page. **"FW!"**

"That's great Mario!" Said Samus. "Does it say anything else?"

"Only a little." His smiled began to falter. "Says here that he is a rich and famous; but other than that. That's a it"

"Well at the very least we found something of use." Commented Fox.

"Hmmm." Thought the Mii.

"What's on you're a mind Gunner?" Said Mario.

"Oh ah ah Ohhh ah!" (Yeah, you were zoning out there!)

"Just thinking about our guy." Replied the shooter. "Something seems off."

"What do you mean?" Said Bowser.

"Based on the evidence we gathered, the suspect appears to be a scientist of some sort, a very well-known at that. Why would a man (or woman) with that much success, bomb a dam? There's little to gain for committing an act like that."

"Perhaps he was pissed off at the world and wanted to set it on fire" Answered the turtle.

"Jiggly ly." (Sounds unlikely.)

"Hold on." Spoke the fox. "If this guy was so famous throughout the world; then how come we haven't heard about it?"

"Perhaps history had forgotten the guy?"

"That's a possibility." Answered the bounty hunter.

"This mystery only seems to go deeper." The Mii said to herself as she looked at the signature.

Before anyone could speak, the device gave out a beep. The group had turned around to see that the microscope had completed its task.

"It's done." Samus walked over to the machine, turning on the monitor to review the results. "Let's see what's on here."

"What does it a say?" Questioned the plumber.

"Just the composition of the blue substance," the bounty hunter told Mario. "According to the machine; the liquid is made up of two ingredients. The first one being mucus."

"EWWW!" Gunner was grossed out, covering up her mouth in disgust.

"Squeamish much?" Replied an annoyed king.

"Oh ahhh oh ugh oh?" (And the other compound?)

"It states that the second compound is Nitroglycerin, a material commonly used in dynamite."

"So explosive snot?" The vulpine deadpanned, shaking his head in bewilderment. "I've seen everything."

"Well you're gonna see a lot more; the microscope picked up something else." Said Samus.

"What?! Show me." Said Fox, as the rest of the Smashers were crowding behind the bounty hunter; eager to take a look at the screen.

"Hold your horses, gentlemen." Spoke the blond. "I'm bringing it up right now; and stop breathing on my neck. It's creepy."

The trophies apologized and stepped back whiles Samus clicked the notification. When the message finally popped up, all of the fighter's eyes opened wide with surprise. Trying to comprehend what they were seeing.

"Call Lucario and Snake." Said Samus. "They need to see this."

* * *

"Huh, this gym actually looks pretty nice." Said Wii Fit Trainer, who just walked into the area.

The room appeared to be very well maintained; the mirrors were crystal clear; there were many workout machines and equipment to choose from; and the smell, oh god the smell. It was fantastic, the fragrance reminded Fit of the scented candles she lit back at home.

 _Oh wait, Home._

The woman than felt all of the positive energy sap out of her like a deflated balloon, now feeling quite depressed. _'It's only been a day, and I'm already getting homesick.'_ Thought the trainer _'Whoop de do.'_

She eyed a yoga mat before shaking her head out of her state. _'I need to get my mind off things, perhaps some stretches would relieve some stress.'_ Wii Fit stepped on the mat, cracking her neck before performing the tree pose. Her posture becoming equally balanced.

' _Man, I just don't know what to think anymore.'_ Thought the girl, _'Where do I go from here? Samus said that my arrival to this world was a one way trip, there's no going back!'_ Her stance began to wobble a little bit, but not too much that I'll throw her off.

' _And that's not the worst of it! According to them; I'm not even the real thing! Just some copied statue of the original; a constant reminder of what I'm truly am!'_ At this point she began to teeter from side to side. Wii Fit didn't notice however, being too preoccupied with her thoughts.

' _This is unfair, what did I do to deserve this! I get to endure whatever this place has to throw at me; whiles my other half gets to enjoy herself? Living her life in the comfort of the studio? Appreciating the job and students I used to have?! That's a load of-'_

Before the health nut could finish, she lost her footing and fell straight to the ground, she gave a soft yelp before her face made contact with the floor. With the mat thankfully cushioning her fall.

"AH! DAMMIT!" Shouted the woman as she pounded her fist into the thick foam, being clearly frustrated.

"Am I intruding on something?" Said a voice behind her, Wii Fit turned around to sheik standing in the doorway, carrying a bottle of water.

"Nope, you're good. I'm just a bit under the weather." Said the instructor as she walked over to the weight section; Picking up a dumbbell with her right hand, to which she began to curl her bicep.

The ninja then walked beside her, taking a jump rope of a rack as he prepared to exercise. "Mind if I join?"

"Um…sure." Said the Wii Fit, as she began to focus on her muscles.

"My name is Sheik, What's yours?"

"I'm Wii Fit Trainer, but you can call me "Fit" for short."

Sheik waited a couple of seconds before responding again. "So I heard you're the latest Newcomer to arrive here."

"That's a way of putting it." The instructor huffed to herself; frowning in displeasure.

"I take it you already hate becoming a Smasher?" Said the man, already completing a set of jump rope."

"What?" Said the trainer in surprise. "Oh! Not at all, I'm irritable because…I didn't get to finish breakfast." Said Wii Fit, lying in order not to offend the veteran.

The ninja however, saw right through it. "You don't have to lie Fit, It's very common for a Smasher to be upset at the meaning of their creation. I can remember the first time I became a Newcomer. Practically loathed it."

"You did?" The woman said in surprise, setting the dumbbell back onto the table.

"Yep." The fighter replied, hanging the jump rope back on the rack. "When I first found out what my situation was, I became…disheartened because off it. I kept to myself, and thought that life was unfair, as if the world was toying with on purpose for its sadistic pleasure. But eventually, I accepted it."

"How can you something like that? Don't you want your old life back?"

"Trust me. I would love nothing more than to go back home, but I know better. I can't return back to which I came."

"Because there's no way we can't cross into other realms?"

"Well…no, that's part of the reason, but that's not it. I can't leave because I have a duty to fulfill." Answered the ninja, taking a gulp of his water bottle.

"Duty?!" Said Wii Fit in surprise, almost tripping over her foot. "What duty?"

"To protect the World of Trophies of course." The Sheikah Warrior said, the tone of his voice sounding very smooth. "You may have heard that this universe is the heart of the Omniverse, correct?"

"Yes I know, but I don't get why-"

"It's important, because the state of this universe; affects everything in other universes." Interrupted the fighter.

"Oh right, that. Samus did mentioned it, but she didn't go too deep into it. Does this relate to your duty?"

"Indeed it does." Said the Veteran; leaning up against a wall. Any effects that show up in the WOT, will show up in the rest of reality. If the world is healthy; then the rest of the Omniverse is healthy. If the world is damaged; then the rest of the Omniverse is damaged. If the world was ever destroyed-"

"Then the Omniverse will be destroyed?!" Butted in the Wii Fit Trainer, gasping in horror.

"Yep. This is my duty; as well as many other Smashers in this world. To protect, and guard the WOT."

"Man, so that's why you guys are so protective of this place."

"Sure is, having everything being destroyed is a tragedy, but do you know what's worse than all of reality vanishing in an instance?"

Wii Fit stayed silent, to which the ninja continued. "Someone taking control."

"This world can be controlled?"

"Yes it can. It's a challenge but it's possible."

"But how is someone gaining control of the WOT worse than reality collapsing on itself?"

"Remember when I said earlier that World of Trophies can affect other worlds? Well that still applies here. Let's say some villain managed to defeat us and was able to rule over this realm with an iron fist. What do you think would happen? It's pretty simple really, that villain would be able to control the entire Omniverse. Just imagine it. One guy with unlimited power, possessing the ability to subjugate and control the will of any creature in existence? It'll be an eternal dark age that will swallow the light of justice and freedom forever."

"That's horrifying!"

"I know." Said the ninja, taking a breath to recollect himself. "Back in my home universe, I was a princess of a huge land called Hyrule, it was a very prosperous nation, where peace ruled the land and people were happy to be alive."

"However, there was this…demon that lurked within this realm." Continued Sheik, sounding very serious. "This guy was absolutely power-hungry. He wanted to take over this kingdom; corrupting the land with darkness and evil. The tyrant made many attempts to achieve his goal but he always failed; thanks to Hyrule's warrior. "The hero of Hyrule.""

"Well that's good at least." Said Wii Fit, appearing to be more relaxed. "If there's someone to stop him, then he can achieve his wish to take over Hyrule."

"Yes, but the tyrant always comes back; which leaves the chance of the hero being defeated." Said the Veteran. "And if that happens; then it's all over. With the hope of a better tomorrow being permanently dismantled in the eyes of the people. In a way, the whole Omniverse is like Hyrule: Big, mostly peaceful, and very vulnerable to villains and tyrants alike. Even though I can no longer protect my people from that demon; I can save the entire Omniverse from falling apart. That's my duty; the thing that motivates me to no end, and vital part of my being that I still devote towards to this day."

"I…I'm at a loss for words, Sheik." Replied the instructor in respect. "I never knew you been through so much. I feel sorry for what the citizens of Hyrule has to deal with."

"I appreciate your sympathy."

"Don't mention it."

"So what's yours?" The ninja asked suddenly in the blue.

"Huh?"

"What do you fight for? What's the one thing that motivates you to get out of bed and enjoy the rays of the rising sun?"

"Um…" The woman looked deep within herself for an answer but she couldn't find one. "I don't know."

"Then let me rephrase the question." Said Sheik. "Why do you miss home?"

""Why"?"

"Well there's certainly something about your world that you love; otherwise you wouldn't be so depressed about leaving it in the first place. So what's the one thing you had compassion for in your universe?"

"Hmmm….." Wii Fit thought again; this time focusing on the memories of her dimension. "Now that I think about; there wasn't much back on my world that I actually cared for."

"Did you hate your home?"

"What? No! Not at all." The instructor said defensively. "My home was no means terrible. It was a peaceful town located in a grassy plain of sorts; the people were nice, the temperature was fine, and the view was certainly a breath to behold."

"Then why didn't you care for it?" Questioned the warrior.

"I suppose it had to do with me if anything else, I spent the majority of my time in my fitness studio. I owned it when I first moved there; wanting to use my passion for fitness into a career. However, because I was so devoted to my job, I didn't have much time for anything else. The only real reason I went outside was to get groceries and do my daily jogs."

"So that's why you miss home then? Because of your job?" Replied Sheik

"Yes." Wii Fit Said with a smile. "Getting my instructing license was the highlight of my life. Not only do I get paid for doing what I loved, I get to teach my passions to others. I have regular customers who come to my studio for yoga, weight training, running, that sort of stuff. That was the best part about my business: Becoming a teacher; swapping stories with my customers; watching them grow as they improve their body and minds. I live for that. I get nostalgic just by thinking about it. It's a shame that I'll never get to do that again." Spoke the instructor; appearing quite sad.

"Now hold on Fit, you don't know that." Replied the Veteran. "It's true that you won't be able to teach your students anymore; but that doesn't mean you have to give it up all together."

"Huh?"

"The Smashers here are always eager to learn new skills and techniques to use in battle. I'm sure a woman of your prowess would get along quite well with them." Comforted the ninja. "We're always receiving new fighters from all over the Omniverse. All of which who had come from very different backgrounds. Perhaps one day, the entire world will be full of trophies, living in peace and harmony. And I can see you, Wii Fit, as one of the people that can bring these Smashers into shape and bloom them into the best person they can be. I know it in my gut to be true."

The instructor upon hearing his words of encouragement smiled. There was still hints of sadness on her face but it was overshadowed by the large grin plastered on her chin. "Thanks Sheik, I really needed that."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey." Asked the Newcomer. "I was going to do some yoga on that mat over there." The woman pointed to the foam rectangle on the ground. "Care to join me?"

The Veteran then nodded. "Sure, I love a good stretch."

The two then walked to the middle of the room, standing side-by side as they decided on what exercise to choose from.

"So what should we start with?" Asked the ninja."

"Let's start with some _Sun Salutations_ " Answered Fit. "It's very good for your back, really lets your spine breath."

"All right then."

The fighters immediately started out with their pose; sheik raised his hands into the air as he bent down to reach his toes; cracking his neck as he did so.

Wii Fit however, took her time with the exercise. Standing up straight as she lifted her arms into the air, closing her eyes to relish the movement. As she did so, something began to form in front of her; a ball of solar energy suddenly materialized near her chest. Catching the attention of Sheik.

"Uh…Fit." The ninja said in shock.

The instructor didn't hear him, she bent her back slowly as the sphere of light and heat began to grow in size.

"FIT!"

"Huh?" The woman was suddenly taken out of her hypnotic state, upon opening her eyes, she saw what the ninja was fussing about and gave a loud yelp.

"YAHH!"

The ball began to move on its own according, propelling away from the fighters as it shot into a punching bag. Vaporizing it to a crisp. The duo became very confused to what just happened. The silence was broken when Wii Fit shouted "What just happen! Where did that came from?"

"I think it came from you." Said the ninja.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I believe you created that sphere; all on your own."

"That's not-That's can't be right! It's impossible! I never had that ability back on my world! Why-"

"It's probably because of your introduction in this world." Answered Sheik. "Sometimes the WOT can give Smashers additional powers based on the properties of the universe they originated from."

"But why would it give me the ability to shoot balls of energy? How does that relate to me or my realm at all?"

"Beats me." Said the ninja. "I don't know the exact mechanics of how it works."

"Oh."

The Smashers stayed silent, not sure on how to react or what to do, until Sheik snapped his fingers. A bright idea forming in his skull.

"Hey, I just realized something, you can create energy right? So why not have you try your powers on the generator in the Command Center?"

"Why would I should I use my powers on the generator."

"Well…ah. It's kind of complicated." Replied the Veteran. "Let me explain it to the best of my ability."

* * *

 _Sheik then explains the current situation at the command center. He told her about the machine and its functions; that energy must be introduced to it, in able for it to work. The ninja also told Fit that they were having troubles in finding a battery; a lot of the Smasher's projectiles weren't working; collapsing into nothingness before it has a chance to create power._

"And after I used my grenades on the generator, and subsequently failed; I went over to the gym to relive some stress and that's where I found you." Said the ninja.

"I think I get it now." Replied Wii Fit. "So do you really think that my power would work on that device?"

"It's worth a shot." The warrior told the instructor. "Things are getting pretty desperate over there, I don't think we can afford the generator to not work; these black outs will put too much strain for the mansion to handle."

"I see." Answered the woman. "If this is a matter of the safety, then I'll do it. Hopefully I'm the key to this succeeding."

"Alright then, since you're willing to help out, I'll show you to the Command Center. Let's pray that those abilities of yours will be all that we need."

"Ok! Lead the way."

The two then walked out of the gym, and into the hallway; on a mission to start the generator, before the power of the mansion fizzles out for good.


	18. Chapter 18: A Power Charge

**Chapter 18: A Power Charge**

"[Okay. Let's try another one.]" Said R.O.B.; feeling mentally drained. Powering up the generator has been unsuccessful most far. They tried many of the Smasher's projectiles: Such as Luigi's fireballs, Dedede's stars, and Pikachu's electricity on this machine but each attempt failed to create a suitable battery for the device. To make things worse, R.O.B. is running out of potential fighters to achieve this task. The robot is practically praying that'll he'll get the machine running in time before the next black out; worrying that the mansion can't handle any more shortages. The Veteran then turned to the jackal and said "[Lucario. You're up; use your aura sphere on it.]"

The animal nodded _"As you wish."_ He walked towards the entrance of the glass box, standing firm as let his life-force course through his body. The Pokémon then put his paws together, forming a large ball made up of compressed aura; which was growing larger by the second.

Lucario shot the glowing projectile, into the cage; the Smasher known as Wolf, closing the door the second it went inside; locking it with post-haste.

The Generator's ring caught the sphere the moment it went near the device; its pull putting it in place inside the rims of the hoop. The psychic energy seeped into the ball of aura, making it grow in size and luminescence.

"Do you think this will work?" Said Pit.

"Hopefully so." Answered Gannondorf.

The room was full of trophies, they were on edge as they looked at the display. Nervous on what's about happen next. Unfortunately, the projectile rejected the psychic power, deforming and twisting into unnatural shapes at the box begins to vibrate with heavy force.

The ball exploded with fury' there wasn't a space inside the glass cage that was left untouched by the blast, which was greedily swallowed by the mass of chaotic aura.

After a moment or so, the mass of life energy began to fade away; leaving an unchanged box, with an unpowered generator.

"That went well." Sarcastically said Brawler, appearing to be unimpressed.

" _Stay positive Brawler."_ Replied Lucario. _"We will get this."_

"Stay Positive?! Most of the Smashers had tried to get the generator running, and they failed. There's nothing worth being positive about!"

"Brawler. I know it looks bad, but we have to keep going." Spoke the solider. "We can't give up without trying."

"I'm not saying 'Give up'!" Answered the fist-fighter. "What I'm saying, is that we need to rethink our strategy. We're essentially just throwing things at a wall to see what sticks! There's gotta be an efficient way to do this!"

"[Perhaps your right, maybe there is a better way to power up the generator.]" Acknowledged the robot. "[However, we're limited on resources and time. This is the best we can manage on short notice.]"

"Okay then, what happens if none of the fighters can turn on the generator? What happens then?"

"[We find another solution.]"

"Find another solution? Is that seriously the plan!? What kind of schemes are you guys gonna cook up next? Clone Pikachu a thousand times and wrap them around in wires? Attach a lightning rod on the roof and hope for the best? Call a damn electrician?! What!?" Shouted the Mii.

Lucario was about the speak sense into the Newcomer but Brawler kept talking "Oh wait, don't tell me. You're going to twiddle your thumbs and hope that someone comes along to save the day aren't you? Well I can tell you guy's one thing for sure; There no chance in hell that's ever gonna happen!"

As if on cue, the doors to the Command Center slammed open; revealing a fitness trainer and a blond ninja. "Guys! We might have found the key to our energy problem!" Shouted Sheik. The Trophies stood there, stunned at the sudden intrusion of the two fighters.

All except Brawler, who scream on the top of his lungs "OH FOR # $% SAKE!"

Wii Fit and Sheik Stood there in shock out the Mii's outburst until the jackal spoke to them _"Ignore him, what do you guys mean you found the key?"_

"He's talking about me." Said the pale women. "I discovered something new about myself today; an ability I never knew I had before till now."

"What kind of ability?" Questioned Wolf; folding his arms in suspicion.

"Pic Pichu chu pichu!" (Yeah! What's your power!) Squeaked a small yellow mouse.

"Well." Said Wii Fit, holding her hands nervously. "I don't know what Is exactly. After the meeting I headed to the gym to get some exercises done, you know to relax and enjoy myself. But, when I tried to do some yoga, something…something came out of me."

"Something came out of you?" Said a perplexed Snake.

"A projectile of some sort." Answered the warrior. "Was about the size of a large cannonball and was emitting intense light and heat; based on that assessment, I'm betting that it's an energy based attack."

" _Hmm interesting."_ Said Mewtwo. _"Do you think you can show us?"_

"Ummm…I don't know if I can."

"You did it once before, I'm sure you can do it again." Said the ninja. "Just try to remember what you did back at the gym, I believe you were doing that yoga pose before your powers activated."

Memories from earlier had flooded her mind like a tsunami. Upon recollection, she nodded to the group and stood very straight. She raised her arms in the air, as a ball of yellow light had formed near her chest. The Smashers took noticed, staring at the sphere whiles several people gave out "Oohs" and "Ahhs"."

"It's so bright." Said Lucas.

"What is that thing made of?" Questioned Ike.

"[Let me check. Wii Fit Trainer, can you hold that pose for a moment? I need to examine this object.]" Said R.O.B.

"Uh, sure thing R.O.B." Replied the instructor.

The robot moved in front of the Newcomer, focusing his eyes on the projectile. A series of red lights were projected from his lens; scanning the sphere in every detail. After approximately 15 seconds, the Veteran has ceased his task, and spoke to the trainer.

"[You can stop now Fit, I got everything that I need.]"

The woman than lowered her arms to her sides, which in turn made the ball disappear into from existence.

"So what exactly is Wii Fit generating from her body?" Said Pokémon Trainer.

"[According to my scanners: That sphere is entirely composed of Infrared radiation, Ultraviolet radiation, and light. Energy that is commonly found in sunlight.]"

"I can generate solar energy?!" Shouted Fit.

"[Unless my readings were incorrect, I say that you have the power to project ball of solar radiation.]"

"Huh." Said the Newcomer, now realizing something. "Kind of makes sense actually."

" _How so?"_ Questioned the jackal.

"My ability seem to only work when I perform the yoga pose known as _Sun_ _Salutation_ ; surprised I didn't see it sooner."

"Now that's just stupid." Said the fist-fighter.

" _Brawler. Hush."_ Spoke the blue canine.

"Okay, having the power of the sun is nice and all, but how is that going to power the generator? What makes you think that this projectile will be different from the others?" Wolf asked the instructor, and the ninja.

"Because I saw how strong it really was." Said Sheik "When Fit first used her powers, she accidently discharge a sphere at one of the punching bags we have hanging around in the gym; it was vaporized immediately."

The fighters were surprised upon hearing this revelation, whispering with one another until a voice spoke up. "So now we'll just let Wii Fit launch a solar ball at the generator, and then the mansion will have unlimited power?" Asked Ness.

"That's the plan." Said Sheik.

"But what do we do if it doesn't work?" Asked the boy.

"We can panic, that seems fun." Joked the turtle.

Marth, rolled his eyes at Bowser's joke. "If it comes down to that, then we'll deal with it. We defeated gods before, a simple electric job to us is child's play."

"Don't jinx it Marth." Said Gannondorf, shaking his head in disapproval as he opened the door to the glass cage.

"[I'll get the generator started.]" Spoke the robot as he face the instructor. "Are you ready?"

Without hesitation, Wii Fit said with shaky confidence "Ye-yes."

"[Alright then.]" R.O.B. then moved towards the entrance of the glass box, pointing with his metal claw at a piece of red tape that was plastered in front of the door way. "[I need you to stand right here, a discharge a solar sphere at that generator. Just focus, and try your best.]"

The Newcomer took a breath as stepped onto the tape, raising her arms high up into the air. Just like before, the ball of sunlight materialized again; glowing with vibrant energy. The trainer stayed put for several moments as the ball grew, becoming larger by the second. Once sphere reached maximum size; she fired it at the machine.

The ring took hold of the attack, placing the orb insides its inner rims. The coil gave out a purple hue as it discharged beams of psychic energy into the projectile. Gannon closed the door, locking it tight as he backed away from the cage; with the rest of the Smashers looking through the glass in anticipation to what happens next.

The paranormal essence had an effect on the globe of light; the object began to warp and compress under the sheer power of the machine; it's yellow glow becoming a dark sickly orange.

"It's going sideways!" Shouted Marth. "We need to shut it down!" The swordsman ran to the electric power strip that was generator was connected to. He was about to pull the cord out, when he felt Mewtwo's paw on his shoulder.

" _Hold on."_ Said the Pokémon _"It seems to be stabilizing."_

The blue-haired Smasher blinked a couple of times before turning his head towards the glass cage. The orb appeared to be calming down. It had stopped its erratic warping and was now reforming itself to its original shape. When the ball had stopped its movements, it emitted a flash of light; covering the room in a blanket of photons.

The blinding glow only lasted for a couple of seconds, fading quickly shortly after. When the trophies uncovered their eyes; they saw the generator, roaring to life inside the cage. _With a new battery hovering inside the hoop._

"Did it work?" Asked Villager, peaking his head from under a table.

R.O.B then ran over to the computer; plugging himself in as he ran diagnostic of the entire palace. "[The mansion is at full power; it worked!]" The robot answered with glee. The Smashers reacted to this news by clapping and applauding, raising the spirits of Wii Fit.

"See? I knew you could do it. Good job!" Replied Sheik.

"Way to go Fit!" Said Falco as he playful punched her shoulder. "You got the generator to work! Gold star!"

The pale women smiled, feeling proud of what she did. Being overwhelmed with positive support. The trainer had faced her body at Snake, who was leaning his back off a nearby wall.

"Guess you were right Snake. That gym was all that I needed."

The solider gave out a short chuckle, raising his hand to show a thumbs up. He was suddenly taken off guard by his codec, ringing loudly in his ear. He then knelt down to floor; answering the call whiles the fighters were talking among themselves.

"Sooooo, what next?" Asked the fist-fighter.

"[Well, now that the generator is up and running, we have to relocated it.]" Said the robot. "[I'm going to need the heavyweights to carry this down to the basement. The rest of you can leave if you wish. See you all later. Dismiss!]"

The larger fighters groaned in annoyance as the trophies were pilling by the door to exit the room. Lucario was about to go, when he heard Snake call out his name.

"Lucario." Said the solider as he walked up towards the jackal. "I just got confirmation from Samus that she and her team had finished their task of analyzing the evidence."

" _Did they find anything?"_

"They did, but Samus wants us to come to lab so she can tell us what they found in person."

" _Alright, I suppose we should head there now."_ The canine turned to look at R.O.B instructing the heavies on how to lift the machine. _"Do you need any assistance?"_

"[Nothing we can't handle. Go on ahead, we'll be fine.]"

" _If you say so."_ Said Lucario as he and Snake exited the command center; leaving R.O.B. in charge of the brutes.

"[Okay, I need all of you to get a good grip on the generator, after you do so, just exit follow my lead until we reach our destination. Did everyone get that?]"

All the grunts nodded.

"[Good, let's move; and remember be careful.]"

The heavies used their brute strength to lift up the device. Carrying it with ease. As they began to move, they unknowingly began to head straight towards a table, fitted with a couple of computer monitors.

"[OH WAIT! WATCH OUT FOR THAT-]"

*CRASH*

"[Work station.]"

"Ooh, ahh." (Oops, sorry.) Said Donkey Kong.

The Robot then face-palmed, groaning loudly as he lamented the words "[This is going to be a long day.]"

* * *

The door to the lab opened, revealing a certain blue Pokémon and buff solider. "We're here Samus." Said Snake. "There's something that you want to show us?"

The room was pretty much empty; Gunner, Mario, Bowser, Jigglypuff, and Diddy had left the area, having being dismissed once the task was complete. The only people in the room were Samus and Fox, who were resting on some chairs by their desk.

"That's correct." Said the bounty hunter. "Sorry for calling both of you here so suddenly; I didn't feel comfortable about talking about it over the radio."

" _It's no big deal Samus."_ Replied Lucario. _"So what did you find?"_

"We finally found out what that blue substance was." Spoke the vulpine. "Apparently it was a hybrid of mucus and nitroglycerin, according to the scans it's very volatile when directly exposed to intense heat. Which does explain how that blast was activated."

"Ugh, that's revolting." Said war veteran, shaking his head in disgust.

" _Is that all?"_ Questioned the jackal.

"No, we found something else." Said Samus.

" _Really? What is it?"_

Fox walked over to the computer and turned it on, gesturing the rest of the Smashers to come closer.

"When we had analyzed the shards, we found a small; inscription on one of the pieces." Explained Fox "It was so tiny, that we had to put the microscope on the highest setting to be able to see it."

"An Inscription?" Said Snake.

"Yes, let me pull it up."

He typed in a series of commands in the keyboard, bringing up a message made entirely of numbers.

 **01000001 00100000 01100111 01101001 01100110 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110 0001010 0001010 01000110 01101001 01110010 01100101 0001010 0001010 01001001 01100011 01100101**

" _What is this nonsense? Why's there so many 0's and 1's?"_ Asked the Lucario.

"It's Binary Code." Answered Snake.

" _Binary Code?"_

"It's a coding system that uses these digits to represent a letter, a picture, a video, or any other character in an electronic device. Think of it as a language that only computers can understand."

"You're right on the mark Snake." Said Samus. "This is indeed Binary Code."

" _So if this is a language of some sort, then what does it say when translated?"_ Asked Lucario.

"When we put it through the translator, we got this message." Said the fox as he pressed another key on the computer, bringing up another box.

 **A gift from me to you.**

 **Fire**

 **Ice**

"Fire and Ice?" Questioned Snake

" _What does this mean?"_ Said Lucario.

"We're just a confused as you are." Answered Samus. "We don't what it stands for or why it's here. It's a complete mystery to us."

The four fighters stayed their silent. Staring at the monitor before the solider spoke up.

"There's no use worrying about it now, let's call it a day and keep an eye out for anymore strange occurrences. For now, just turn off the computer, and keep the file somewhere safe, I have a feeling we're going to be needing this in the future."

"Sure thing Snake!" Said Fox as he typing more on the keyboard.

"I'll be checking stock on the armory." Said the solider. "Need to decide on what to take for the next Newcomer we pick up."

" _I'll come with you."_ Said Lucario, before they left, the canine turn back towards the Samus and Fox, saying the words. _"Good job analyzing the evidence, we couldn't have done it without you."_ He said with a smile.

"Your welcome." Said Samus as she smiled back.

Lucario and Snake then left the room, closing the door behind them as they left the bounty hunter and the vulpine to their work.

* * *

 **Hey Guys, It's me! Crystal Brick. I have to study up upcoming English exam, so i'll be busy for this week, but I'll still find a way to cramp this story in my schedule.**

 **I want to ask you guys something. Would you guys like a SYOE? (Sign Your Own Enemy) Where I present a theme and you guys can create enemies based on that theme. Would you guys like that, or should I scrap that? Leave your thoughts in the comments.**

 **Till next time.**


	19. Chapter 19: Nightmare

**Chapter 19: Nightmare**

Today couldn't be more perfect; balloons covered the sky like no tomorrow; the people were walking and talking on the pristine tile; and the big TV tower stood high into the air, looking majestic in the rays of the sun. Truly a beauty to behold.

' _What a world.'_ Thought an orange dressed woman as she looked up from her checkboard to stare at the landmark. _'Can't believe it's been so long since I opened this place; time really does seem to fly when you're not paying attention.''_

It was Nintendo land's sixth anniversary and Gunner was tasked to make sure that the amusement park was in great condition. Being the good care-giver she was, the woman made sure that every last one of those boxes were filled in; writing one last check-mark on her to-do list.

Once Gunner knew for a fact she was finished, she took a huge breath; swiping the sweat from her forehead.

The gal put a lot of work into this place, the very first thing she'd done when she bought it, was to do a huge remodeling. From day one she work tirelessly to get the supplies that were needed; transportation, food, and most importantly, the attractions. Which she considered to be the best part about this place.

Gunner sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to build this place, but it was worth it. She achieved her dream of owning her own amusement park, having it become well known throughout the world. She was truly happy.

"[Hello Gunner!]" Said a voice behind her, the woman turned around to see one of her best friends calling out for her; Monita. Monita was a robot helper that came with the park when Gunner first owned it. The assistant having the appearance of a flat screen TV; fitted with a pink bowtie and a metal hand that was attached to the very bottom of her body.

The machine waved to the Mii as she got closer; holding a piece of paper firmly in her hand.

"Oh Hi Monita!" Said Gunner. "How it's going girl? Having a great day I take it?"

"[You Bet!]" Said the robot as both of them gave on another a bone crushing hug; the two of them feeling quite satisfied.

When they ended the embrace, Monita gave her the paper, making the woman confused. "Hey, Monita. What's is this?"

"[These are the park's financial charts.]" Said the assistant. "[I wanted to show you how successful this year has been. You've been working very hard Gunner, It's time you get the reward you deserve.]" She said with a smile.

"Why thank you Monita!" Said the Mii as she took the paper. "I can't wait to see how many records we're break-" Was all that the woman said before stopping; being frozen in shock to what she saw.

It was a lawsuit.

 _A lawsuit directed to her._

"What?" Said the girl, being at a loss for words. She focused more intensely at the document to see if it's a joke.

 _It was not._

According to this lawsuit, Gunner is being sued for negligence; stating that one of the rides she created had killed a handful of customers; harming many others.

"Ah!" Shouted the Mii as she dropped the paper, acting like she had just touched flames of burning fire. "The Hell! Monita! What's the meeting of this?!" Said the girl as she looked away from the floor to her best friend.

The Robot assistant wasn't there however, she had completely disappeared out of thin air; as a matter of fact, everyone that was roaming the park earlier is also gone; leaving the caretaker all by herself in the cold breeze of the plaza.

"Huh?" Said the shooter; her mind trying to comprehend what was going on around her. "Where's everyone! What happened to Nintendo land!?" She screamed as she looked around the park. The place had changed its appearance, it was now dirty and disheveled; pieces of trash littering every nook and crank of the floor; and the bright sky had turned into a grim night, certainly a horror to behold.

*riinnnggg*

How could she? How could she let this park to fall so greatly?

*RIIINNNNGGGG*

Everything she put into this place, meaningless, worthless, a waste of time! It wasn't fair.

* **RIINNNNNGGGGGGG***

This can't be happening!

* * *

Gunner woke up in a panic, panting several times to calm herself down. She looked at her surroundings to see that she was in bed, the sweat from her body soaking into the sheets.

"It was a nightmare?" Gunner said to herself, letting her feet dangle off the mattress. "Thank god it wasn't real; but what was that all about?" Said the girl as she thought about her dream. Was that the amusement park she saw in her memories? Why was she dreaming about it now all of sudden? And what did it mean? What was her subconscious trying to tell her? Did something happen back home? To her park? Oh god! What if-

*Ring*

Gunner heard a noise in front of her, she looked up to see an alarm clock ringing on her nightstand, most likely the reason why she was interrupted in her sleep. She pressed the snooze button on the machine, as she shook her head.

' _I'll worry about it later.'_ Thought Gunner _'I'm not in the best of mind to be thinking about this right now, I have to get set up for training, I don't want to be…!'_

Her mind stopped working, when she saw the exact time on the clock, which made the Mii shocked to no end. "I'm late!" Shouted the shooter as she sprung out of bed. "I need to hurry!"

The Newcomer hastened in her morning routine; she started off my taking a shower, flinging her pajamas to the side as she let the warm water flow down her back. Then she went to the mirror to apply some lotion on her face and toothpaste on her teeth, lastly she went to the closet to get some clothes, putting them on as she looked at the clock in worry.

"I need to book it now!" Said the Mii as she ran out of the room and into the hall, letting the door behind her close with a silent thud.

* * *

Gunner ran into the gym, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up to see Brawler and Swordfighter in the room; the only two Smashers that were present in this area.

"You're late." Brawler said in disappointment.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I overslept." Spoke Gunner. "Did I miss it?"

"Yep, the entire thing." Answered Swordfighter.

"Aw crap." Said Gunner, feeling embarrassed. "Marth's going to be so pissed!"

"Hey don't be too hard on yourself." Said the Sword wielder as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You missed one day of training, it's no big deal. And Marth's not angry at you, I know that for a fact. Trust me. It's fine."

"That's a relief." Said the shooter. "But that doesn't change that fact that I missed the lesson, how am I going to learn the lesson now that's its over?" Questioned the girl.

"By having us helping you." Said Brawler.

"Huh?"

"Before class ended, Marth asked us to teach you what we learned today; and we agreed. _Reluctantly._ " Growled the fist-fighter.

"I think you meant to say, _you agreed. Reluctantly._ " Spoke Swordfighter.

"Some of us had better things to do than becoming a damn teacher." Said Brawler.

"So what did Marth taught today?" Said Gunner.

"Nothing too complex." Replied Swordfighter. "All that was being taught today was how to do dodges."

"Dodges? Is that all Marth wanted to teach for this lesson? Seems a bit too much to hold you guys back over something like this."

"That's what I said too." Answered Brawler. "But Marth said that no one can be left behind. Ugh."

"He just wants to make sure that we understand the moves, before we move onto the next thing." Defended the Swordfighter.

"Then have him give tutoring lessons if he's so afraid that someone is going to fail, it's not the entire class shouldn't be held responsible if one person doesn't get it." Said Brawler

"So let me ask again, Marth was teaching on how to do dodges, correct?" Said Gunner.

"Yep. Want me to demonstrate, so you can try it on your own?" Asked Swordfighter.

"No thanks, I already know how to do it." Spoke the shooter

"You do?"

"Uh-huh; I have that information engraved in my mind." Smiled the girl. "Pretty convenient am I right?"

"Well looks like we had our work cut out for us." Brawler said to the blond, to which the sword wielder ignored.

"That's great Gun! How did you learned to do something like that?" Said Swordfighter.

"That's easy, I learned how to dodge when-" Gunner stopped talking when she realized something, she had no memory of dodging at all. So how the hell does she know it at?

Was it locked somewhere in her subconscious? That would explain why she remembers how to dodge despite not being able to recall practicing it. If that's so, then why is her brain allowing some access into her past, whiles closing off other pieces of knowledge? Is there something that her mind that wants her to forget? Something that happened in her world that was too traumatic for her soul too bear? Is that why she had that dream?! To warn her of what occurred back then?! Oh God…How-

"Uh, Gunner?" Said Sword.

The woman was taken out of her train of thought as she looked towards the two Miis, she shook her head to focus herself, as she thought of a response to answer the question. "Yes, Swordfighter?"

"Are you okay? You were dazing out there for a second."

"I'm fine, I just…was thinking about what I said."

"What do you mean?" Asked Brawler, who now showed a hint of curiosity.

"I know how to dodge, but I have no recollection of doing it. I think my mind is hiding that information on purpose."

"On purpose?" Said the fist-fighter.

"Like there's something in my subconscious that is preventing me from regaining my memories. Cutting me off from my old life."

"Is that what worries you?" Questioned the sword wielder. "On how you can't remember your history?"

"No, that's not what bothers me." Said Gunner, itching the back of her head. "What bothers me is not why I can't remember, but rather, what I can't remember."

"And that disturbs you because?" Asked the fist-fighter, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean…Ah…*sigh*, it freaks me out 'cause I have a feeling that something terrible happened to me in past, something that changed my life forever. Something that left a scar on my spirit."

Sword and Brawler kept quiet as they listen to her explanation, the fist-fighter was listening with wonder, whiles the sword wielder felt sympathetic towards the girl. The blond fighter asked her a question, being careful to choose his words wisely in order to not upset Gunner. "What makes you think something happened?"

"Well, this may sound crazy, but I got that feeling from a nightmare I had."

"A nightmare?" Said Brawler, "You think something bad happened because of a nightmare?"

"It wasn't just a simple dream!" Defended Gunner. "It felt so…real, and familiar. Not to mention the fact it had elements that were present in my previous life."

"You mean that Amusement park that you owned?" Asked Swordfighter.

"Amusement park?" Questioned Brawler.

"Oh yeah, I forget to tell you." Gunner said to herself before continuing. "I owned an amusement park before I came here, it's the only memories that were left untouched from the amnesia."

"And how does this relate to your nightmare?"

"I…Well, in the dream I was managing the park for a huge event. I think it was an anniversary." Said the shooter. "Everything was going well until my assistant came along."

"What did your assistant do?" Questioned Swordfighter.

"She didn't do anything per say. She handed me a paper; said it was a gift for all my hard work. But when I read the document, it said…It said it was a lawsuit."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Said the blond "I mean it's not good, but companies had survived being sued before."

"That's true, but I don't think my business was one of the lucky ones. I had reasons to believe it was shut down."

"Why'd you day that?" Said Brawler.

"Because when I looked away from the paper, everything was ruined." Explained the woman, appearing quite said. "It was dark, the people were missing, and there was trash everywhere. I lost my park, and I'm never going to get it back." Spoke the Mii, tears threating to spill from her face.

"Hey." Said Swordfighter, holding onto her hands to calm her down. "You don't know that, your park could just be fine."

"But what if it's not?" Retorted Gunner. "What if it's abandoned, laying rotten in some dump, waiting to be demolished? I know that I'm just a clone, and the real me would have to deal with that, but it affects me just the same. That park was dream, I put my heart into it. If it's destroyed, then that means everything I did was meaningless. What on earth am I supposed to do after that?"

"Pick yourself up and carry on." Said the fist-fighter.

Swordfighter and Gunner were surprised, to expecting to hear a response like that from a man like Brawler.

"What-"

"Remember what Lucario said? How he mentions that everyone here lost their entire lives back in their own world, and they were depressed about it, and how eventually they accepted their situation and made a living for themselves. Being happy once more?"

"Brawler, you expect her to let go of her previous life just like that? That's not-"

"I'm not expecting anything of her, no one is." Interrupted Brawler. "I'm not saying to throw away your entire past, quite the opposite actually. You should cherish those memories, let them be the driving force of your ambitions and passions. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be bound to your history. The best thing to do is to open up and explore what this world had to offer. Hopefully giving you another reason to appreciate this life.

"But how do I find something like that?" Said Gunner, looking somewhat upset. "Where do I even start?"

Brawler shrugged. "I don't think I can respond that, this isn't something can answered with a simple question. You have to find that 'something' yourself. It's all about trial and error; trying to see what moves you, and what you stand for. Might take time to get that type of closure, but if you're willing to put in the work and will. You will achieve it. I can promise you that."

"Thanks for the encouragement Brawler, I needed that." Said Gunner, trying to convince the boys that she's alright. But they can see right though it; it's still bothering her to a degree.

"Hey Gunner, are you feeling better now?" Said Swordfighter.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just feeling a bit tired." Equivocated the shooter. "I think I just need some breakfast."

"Do you want us to come with you?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be alright." Said Gunner as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you later guys! Take care."

She waved goodbye to Swordfighter and Brawler as she exited into the hallway, with her stomach rumbling as her stomach pains begin to grow. ' _Can't wait till I get to the kitchen, I'm famished for some ole bacon and eggs._ '

* * *

After breakfast, the shooter continued her walking down the palace's corridors, very deep in thought.

' _It's been three weeks since my arrival and I still can't let it go. What am I supposed to do now? Brawler said I needed to create purpose in my life, but I don't know what to do! I have no knowledge of any other passions besides that park!'_ Gunner took a deep breath to calm herself down.

' _Its fine, I just have to start from scratch, no big deal…I think. Maybe I should try some new things, perhaps then I'll something that I'll love doing, have a reason to be happy again. Like Brawler said, it's all about trial and error.'_ The woman gave herself a pep talk within her own mind, but she failed to make herself more cheerful.

The Mii was busy with her own line of thinking when she heard noises coming from the door next to her; it sounded like cloth shuffling, and locks opening. As if someone was packing up for a trip.

Out of curiosity, she walked towards the entrance, looking at the metal plague that was screwed into the wall, which was located adjacently to the wooden doorway. On this plague, there was a word that was inscribed onto its polished surface:

 **Armory.**

She went inside; carefully opening the door to see a decently size room; the floor and ceiling had a dull greyish color, but the walls held an interesting sight. There were racks and racks of strange weapons and trinkets; Such as a green turtle shell, a futuristic gun, and a banana peel.

There were also several Smashers in the room. These Smashers were Captain Falcon, Lucario, Snake, Fox, Samus, and R.O.B, all of whom were loading several items into their individual bags. Once the Mii came into view, the blue jackal took notice and gave her a smile. _"Ah Gunner, didn't see you there. I assumed you had a good night sleep?"_

"It was…fine" Lied the shooter, not wanting to tell her peers of that dreadful nightmare. To change the conversation she asked a question. "But enough about me, how about you guys? What's with all the packing? Are you guys going onto another mission?"

" _Indeed we are. We detected another Newcomer half an hour ago, we're just preparing our gear before we head out."_

"That's great guys. So where is this Newcomer located?"

"The scanners says that our guy is in _Underearth_." Spoke Captain Falcon.

"Underearth?" Questioned the Mii. "What that?"

"Underearth is a city that lies within the WOT's harshest jungles." Explained Snake, zipping up his bag. This city is inhabited by anthropomorphic ants, who have had their body parts removed and replaced with technological bits."

"So they're cyborgs?!" Gasped Gunner.

"That's a way of putting it."

"Why did the remove pieces of their body with machines? That's sounds so…painful."

"They didn't." Answered Samus. "Their insane prince made it mandatory to get these cybernetic enhancements. And his subjects went along with it; didn't put up a fight."

"They didn't resist at all?"

"Nope, the ants are very loyal to their ruler."

"More like a dictator." The Mii said in disgust before pushing the thought out of her mind. "Is that why you're all here in the armory? To fight your way into the city to rescue the Newcomer?!" Gunner spoke with concern.

" _Oh no, not at all."_ Denied the Pokémon. _"Despite how…raw the king might be, he has treated us with respect, the guy even were allowed to visit the city anytime."_

"Then what's with all the weapons?"

" _Ah, that."_ Acknowledge Lucario, looking at the bag he was holding in his paw. _"Well, Gunner. After that whole fiasco with the dam, and the discovery of this FW character. The Super Smash Brothers have unanimously decided that it was best to carry more supplies and firepower on missions for now on. Just until we got this whole mess figured out."_

"That make sense I suppose." Said Gunner as she looked at the weapon racks.

" _Yep, certainly does."_ Replied the canine, as he checked his backpack. _"We're going to be staying her for a minute or two to make sure we have the right supplies before heading to Underearth. Best to be safe than sorry, you know."_

"Wait! Hold on a second." Interrupted the shooter, directing her speech to Lucario and Snake. "You two are leaving again? This is third time in a row. Shouldn't you guys like rest or something? It's very dangerous to go on these missions every single time the chance presents itself."

"Well, Lucario and I are 'dangerous' people." Piped the solider. "We encountered danger so much in our lives that it doesn't really affect us anymore. We were made for this." Answered Snake. "Besides, we found that these operations are more successful if the both of us are involved. Most likely because of the fact that we have more knowledge in the art of combat."

"Okay, if you say so. Hope the mission ends well for you all." Said Gunner as she turned to leave the room.

" _Actually Gunner."_ The woman stopped in her tracks, rotating her head towards the aura canine. _"Why don't you come with us? It could be good way to earn experience; certainly better than being cooped up at the mansion all day. It'll be fun!"_

"I-I-I really don't think I should!" Stuttered the Mii. "What if something comes out of the blue and attacks me? I'll be defenseless!"

Lucario looked at her arm cannon, to which the girl retorted. "Okayyyy, maybe not completely defenseless. But I'm a bad fighter!" I don't know how to punch, I don't know how to block attacks, and I really don't know the fullest extent of what this thing can do! She pointed to her weapon, emphasizing her point. "How can I fight if I don't have the skills?"

"Gunner, most people when they come here, don't know how to battle their way out of a paper bag." Explained Fox. "But those Smashers continuously tried to make themselves better, with some of them failing outright every single time. Eventually, they all became greatest Smashers they can possibly be, do you know why?"

The girl didn't respond, giving the vulpine the cue to continue. "It's because they had pushed themselves to the limit, redefining their strengths and weaknesses through hard training and discipline. This is not something you can learn in a textbook, you have to teach yourself how to do it. Going out in the field may sound horrifying, I know, I've been there, trust me. But if you give it a chance, if you go out there to try your all! You will get the skills to pay the bills. It's all a matter of effort, and willpower."

The female shooter bit her lip, being on the fence on whether to go on this trip or not. "I don't know."

"How about this?" Said Snake as he walked towards a large safe embedded into the wall. He pressed a series of buttons on the keypad before pressing enter; to which opened the door, and reached inside.

The solider pulled out a large glowing sphere; it sported a cross on its exterior whiles it glowed in a variety of colors. "This is a Smash Ball; one of the most powerful artifacts in the World of Trophies."

"It looks amazing!" Said Gunner, looking at the object. "So what does it do?"

"Well, when a Smasher destroys a Smash Ball, they unlock a powerful ability within their bodies."

"So I can gain a new powers if I break that thing?"

"Not exactly, you don't 'gain' anything, you just unlock it. This artifact can activate a power that lies dormant within all Smashers, this power is called the _Final Smash._ A Final Smash can be any type of attack; it could be materializing a weapon out of nothing, generating energy from your palms, or even changing the state of your body to something else. Despite how handy this can be, it's a one-use move only. After performing a Final Smash, the ability becomes locked to the user, you would need to break another Smash Ball if you want to use that same power again."

"Oh." Replied Gunner. "It's still quite awesome, if I do say so myself."

" _You bet it is."_ Said Lucario. _"So what do you say Gunner, still want to come with us?"_

The Mii rubbed her chin, thinking on what to do. Despite her worries, she agreed with the offer. "Okay, I'll go!"

" _Atta girl."_ The canine told the fighter as he patting her on the back. _"Now we should get going, the sooner we get there, the better!"_

The team then made a beeline for the door, going down the hallway as they started their third mission.

* * *

 **Hey Crystal Brick here, I just wanted to give you an update.**

 **I have a math exam on the 16th, so I may have to focus my mental energy on that, but not to worry. I'll do this fanfic whenever I have the chance to get.**

 **Anyways I have another announcement to make. For the next two chapters, i'll be starting a (SYOE) Sign Your Own Enemy.**

 **This means you can send in an enemy for the Super Smash Brothers to face, pretty cool huh?**

 **Anyway, here how this thing goes.**

 **For every SYOE, there is a theme that must be followed, For this theme, it's all about ants, cyborgs, and technology. Here is the template sheet.**

 **Name: (What is the name of this enemy? Pick to you hearts content. As long as it's appropriate, I want to keep this fanfic out of the mature section. ;))**

 **Appearance: (You can pick what this monster looks like. As long as it fits the theme.)**

 **Powers: (What kind of abilities does this enemy have? What powers do they have that makes them unique, and a threat to the Smashers at the same time.)**

 **History: (This one's optional, but if you want to give a background to this enemy that fits the story, then go ahead.)**

 **Strength/Weakness: (What sort of strength and weaknesses does the enemy have?)**

 **Finally, the enemies will have to fit the theme, and must not be too overpowered. If it can't fit these requirements, I can't put it in.**

 **I may not be able to get all of your guys creations into this story, but i'll be sure to give you guys a shout out at least!**

 **So yeah, Leave the SYOE submissions in the reviews or just PM, I'll try my best to work it out in the story.**

 **Till next time.**


	20. Chapter 20: Un-Welcomed

**Hey there guys, Just wanted to let you know that I made a sight change in the previous chapter, I made the king to a prince to add more depth to the story, anyways here you go.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Un-welcomed**

A small aircraft was soaring over countless vines and trees; going at a comfortable yet fast speed to reach their destination: _Underground._ The team was resting in cockpit of the vehicle; preparing their gear whiles Samus flew the ship with steady grip.

"So you guys decides who goes on a mission by picking names out of a hat?" Asked Gunner, polishing her cannon with a cloth.

" _Yes we do."_ Replied Lucario. _"May sound silly, but it's really effective. It gives the Smashers a fair chance, not to mention it's really simple; don't have to do anything complicated."_

"Okay, so is everyone here because they got picked?"

" _That's usually the case, but not this time."_

"Oh?" The Mii stopped her cleaning, looking at the canine in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We decide that we would pick specific fighters for this mission, due to the concerns of FW." Explained Snake, taking a quick smoke of his cigarette. "Everyone you see here volunteered on their own volition."

"Is that true guys?" The shooter asked her team. "Did you came here on your own free will?"

"Yes." Answered Fox. "When Samus and I were analyzing that blue substance found on the scraps, we discovered that the mucus comes from a specific variant of ant; which can only be found in Underground. We came along for this trip to find anymore possible clues on our mystery bomber."

"That makes sense." Said Gunner. "But why did you two wait to travel to the city till now?"

"We just got the information today." Spoke the armored woman. "We had to be 100% sure that the tests were correct. We can't be making mistakes on wild goose chases."

The Mii nodded, turning her head to the racer and the robot. "Falcon? R.O.B?"

"[Due to the fact that Underground is an advance technological city, I felt that my hacking abilities would be most useful in a place like that]"

The bounty hunter leaned against a wall, giving a smirk. "I was tried staying at the palace. Hoped to get some action on this wonderful mission."

"Well let's hope it's the good kind of action." Snake said as he finished his cigarette. "I don't want any incidents on this expedition. We're here to get the Newcomer and get out. Nothing else."

"We arrived." Samus told the team, the scenery of a futuristic medieval city came into view; being surrounded by a ginormous metal wall that covered every entrance and exit into the robotic metropolis.

"All right then, let's get a move on!" Announced Snake as he put his butt into an ash tray. "I have a feeling we'll have a big day ahead of us."

* * *

The ship landed on the dry dirt, extending its landing gear as the vehicle made a complete stop. The fighters hopped out of the aircraft to gaze up at the wall. It was made up of metal based alloy; most likely steel. Its structure was very tall as a skyscraper, seamlessly touching the clouds with its top rims. Finally. There was a humongous picture of an ant on the front of the barrier, which appeared to have been painstakingly engraved by tools based on the scratch marks that were near the outline of the metallic insect.

"So how do we get in?" Asked Gunner.

"[Right there.]" R.O.B. pointed to a door made of polished stone, which was located at the very bottom of the wall. Beside the door was an intercom, fitted with a simple speaker, and a big red button. "[If we buzz in, they answer, and let us through.]"

Snake walked up to the door and pressed the button. "Hello, it's Snake. Can you allow us entry? We have some business to discuss with the king." No response. "I repeat, it's Snake. Can you allow us entry? We have some business to discuss with the king." Still nothing.

" _What's happening Snake?"_ Questioned Lucario.

The solider looked at the door intently, he appeared calm but in reality he was worried. "Somethings not right. They usually answer in no time"

"Perhaps they're just busy?" Said the shooter.

"Or maybe in trouble." Replied Fox "FW had to extract the mucus to create his bomb, it's possible he's been here already."

"You think the ants are in danger?"

"It's a possibility, it would explain why they didn't answer our messages recently."

"If that's the case, we have to get in now." Snake looked at the intercom and got an idea. "R.O.B., do you think you can hack the door?"

The robot pondered the thought for a several seconds before responding. "[I can, but I'll need direct access to the system for it to work.]"

"I can fix that." The Solider reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. He used it to unscrew the four screws that were holding the frame together. When he was done, he took it off to expose the wires and circuitry that was hanging off the wall.

R.O.B moved towards the intercom and took one of the cords into his claws, to which he used to plug in the back of his head. "[Hmm. I can get it opened, but it'll take some time.]"

"That's good enough for me." Answered Snake. "Just tell us when you're through."

"[Sure thing.]"

The Veteran strolled to rest of the team, and gave a sigh. "Get comfortable people, we'll be here for a while."

"Since we're stuck at the moment, do you think you guys can tell me more about the ants?" Asked the Mii.

" _Alright Gunner."_ Said Lucario. _"I'll tell you everything that you need to know about Underground. Where do you want to begin?"_

"Start with the history, I want to know how they came to be this way."

" _Well, here it goes."_ The canine stayed silent to organize his thoughts before speaking. _"The ants formed the city of Underground during the 64 era; having it built in this very jungle. They used to be a tribal democracy but overtime they evolved into a government monarchy, being under control of the Quartz royalty, a family of noble ants that ruled over the society. Shortly after the beginning of the Melee era, the ants discovered technology, which proved to be their most favorite invention; quickly adapting to implement the machines to every aspect of their lives."_

"But how exactly did they become cyborgs."

"I was getting to that." Butted the Pokémon before continuing. _"At the start of the Brawl era, a terrible plague swept through the city; they survived but it took a lot of ants in its wake, including the majority of the Quartz family."_

"That's horrible!"

"Yep, and it doesn't end there." Said Captain Falcon. "The only surviving member of the monarchy was Rubrum Quartz, the youngest, and now only prince in the city. Rubrum went mad with grief over losing everyone he loved. One day he came up with the idea of implementing machine into his subjects. Believing that if they became 'evolved.' As he put it. The ants would become immortal. So he turned his people into cyborgs, thinking he's saving his species from the death itself." The bounty hunter paused, swiping the sweat from his forehead. "We were only aware of their existence after forming the Super Smash Brothers. Like we said earlier, despite how unstable the prince was, he was welcoming towards us; going as far to say that the Smashers weren't a threat to his kingdom. We got that information by touring Underground's history museum."

"Man." Stated Gunner, her mood deflating quite drastically. "I thought the prince was just an insane tyrant, but now I know he's just a guy who went through so much pain. It's no wonder he snapped."

"Yes it's a shame to what happened to Rubrum and his family, but keep in mind; what he did. Was wrong." Commented Samus. "Even though it's understandable to why he would do such a thing, it doesn't make it anymore right."

"Have you tried talking to him about turning his people back to normal?"

"We tried that, but he won't listen. Rubrum is so stubborn in his beliefs that he'll shut down the conversation altogether, or in worst cases going in a fit of protective rage for even mildly suggesting an idea like that."

"And we can't liberate them either." Said Snake. "It'll be pretty hard overthrowing Rubrum from his seat of power. Even if we were successful, we still have to deal with the prince's followers, which makes up almost half of Underground's population. These followers will only continue the policies of the kingdom, declaring a declaration of war upon our organization. That is something that we cannot afford."

"So…nothing?" Asked Gunner, appearing to be mildly upset. "There's nothing we can do to help them?"

"Afraid so. Perhaps one day, Rubrum and his followers will see the errors of their ways and change their lives for the better. But I wouldn't bet on it. Sometimes you have to stop worrying about stuff you can't control, and let nature takes it course."

"Damn. That just…That just sucks."

"Damn right indeed."

Whiles the group conversed among themselves, R.O.B. finally managed to open the entrance, which made a loud cranking sound as it retracted up into the wall. "[Hey guys, I got it opened!]"

"That's our cue." Said Fox. "Come on, we got business to take care of."

The Mii stood silent for a moment before raising her head up with a fake reassuring expression. "Yeah." After replying with a single five-lettered word. She followed her peers into Underground, not sure of what to expect.

* * *

The team was traveling throughout the city; looking at the scenery around them. The buildings were made out of sandstone, ranging from small huts to towering skyscrapers. Technology covered large parts of said buildings; motherboards, wires, and light bulbs were visible in the raise of the sun. Making the female Newcomer uncomfortable. "So besides the whole cyborg thing, is there anything else I should be wary of?"

" _Hmm."_ Thought Lucario, searching his brain for any more information. _"Besides the Roboticization, the ants had found a way to solidify digital data."_

"Solidify digital data?" Asked Gunner. "You mean the stuff that computers use?"

" _You heard me right. Don't ask me how, but Rubrum managed to find a process for turning computer code into tangible matter. I'm very intrigued how such a thing is possible."_

"But why is that important to keep note of?"

"[Because they implemented the compressed data into their tech]" Replied R.O.B "[They mainly use for their weapons and tools, such as: ammo, sword blades, and force fields. The data itself is not very powerful but due to the fact that digital code is unlimited, the ants can't run out of energy. Which makes it a force to be reckoned with in combat.]"

"Oh."

"Speaking of the ants, where are they? These streets are usually busy as this time of hour." Questioned the vulpine. The avenue was void of any signs of life, the silent was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"I got a bad feeling about this; something bad happened, I know it." Stated Samus.

" _We can't go jumping to conclusions Samus."_ Responded the jackal. _"We need more intel before we make our minds on something. I know it's…Hold on, I think I see something."_

"What is it?" Falcon asked the Pokémon.

" _Over there, the ants are at the times square_." Answered the blue canine. He was pointing to an alleyway that was on the right of the team. At the end of the alley, a mass of red figures were moving in the distance, most likely the inhabitants of the city.

"Are they having a meeting of some sort?" Said Gunner.

" _Could explain why they didn't answer the door; to busied occupied."_

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go see what's it's all about!" Commented the male bounty hunter.

The fighters entered the alleyway and exited out to the courtyard, where did indeed see ants that were missing, all group together into a sea of crimson. Their body parts were replaced with machinery; some had robotic arms, some had robotic legs, there was even one ant that had half his face moved. Every single one of this creatures had become a cyborg. Standing emotionless with glassy eyes as they stared up at a huge TV monitor that was attached to the top of city hall. The screen became static for several seconds before a picture of cartoonish ant appeared on the screen, wearing a pristine gold crown.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen!" Said a garbled that emanated from the nearby speakers. "Give your praise for your lord and savior! Prince Rubrum!"

The picture had changed to the video of the crazy noble himself on a white background. He wore a dark blue cape that hung around his neck, alongside a golden crown that sat on top of his head, and a silver staff in his right hand. This guy was different from all the other ants, he didn't had any of the machinery that plagued the rest of his subjects. He was completely normal.

"That's odd, he doesn't have any of the cybernetic implants anymore." Said Snake.

"You mean he was once a cyborg?!" Whispered the shooter.

"Yep, He switched most of his body with his own technology; the only parts on him that were actually biological was his head and torso."

"But now he's all fine and dandy now?"

" _Looks that way."_ Replied Lucario. _"Doesn't make any sense."_

"Hello my fellow subjects!" Said Rubrum.

"Hello Prince Rubrum!" Said all the ants at once, their voices sounding unpleasantly monotonous in nature.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting, I know how loyal you guys are to me." He chuckled with madness before continuing his speech. "Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update, you wouldn't believe what happened today."

"Oh really? What is it Prince Rubrum?" Shouted the crowd.

"Well, since you all are very interested. I give you the scoop!" Replied the noble, taking a very long breath. "I was making some touches on a very important program, when I noticed that the alarms in our city's finest laboratories have gone off. I checked the security cameras to see this little hooligan running around!" He said with anger as snapped his fingers.

The video changed to the feed of a child strapped down onto a steel wall. This child wore a dark blue helmet alongside a light blue jumpsuit, with a hand cannon attached to his left arm, just like the one Gunner has. Cables and wires ran into the kid, he seemed to be in pain as he struggled against his bonds.

"I-i-is that the Newcomer?" Stuttered Fox, feeling absolutely shocked.

"I think it is." Growled Snake.

" _What's he doing to him?!"_ Said Lucario.

"I found this guy intruding into the development room! Injuring several of my guards before we caught him!" Rubrum stated before changing the picture back to him. "He was spouting about a bunch of nonsense. Say that _'He's confused'_ or _'Where am I?! I want to go back home!'_ Whatever that's supposed to mean!" Explained the prince, making air quotations with his fingers.

"I was wondering about what to do with him when I found out his potential. Turns out he's a machine like you and me, and his circuitry is very unique." The noble said with a grin.

"I don't like this." Stated the Mii.

"Neither do I." Responded the male bounty hunter.

"His body can absorb and adapt to certain situations. In other words, he can theoretically modify himself to combat any sort of scenario possible. If I can replicate this into our technology, we'd be unstoppable! We can then finally save to world from horrors of death by evolving them! We be remembered as saviors for eternity!" Shouted Rubrum as the zombie-like crowd, who clapped for him like a bunch of robotic puppets.

"We can't let him do this!" Said Samus

"Damn right we can't!" Agreed Snake. "We need to put an end to this ASAP!"

"Huh?" When Rubrum finished speaking, he noticed the group of trophies that stood behind the crowd, gazing at them through the tiny camera inside the monitor. "Oh, ho ho, look at this folks! It appears that we have some surprised guests within our mist." All the ants turned around towards the fighters, eyeing them with indifference. "Hello Smash Brothers. What made you drop by for a visit?"

" _What do you think you're doing?"_ Demanded Lucario.

"Oh I'm giving a grand speech you blue pooch." Replied the prince, doing a stereotypical flamboyant pose. "You like it? I wrote it myself."

" _You know what I'm talking about! You're planning to turn everyone in the world into cyborgs with that Newcomer!"_

"I'm trying to help the world evolve, make them in better people. It's good for them."

" _I highly doubt that most people would go along with your vision."_

"Yes they most likely would." Sighed the prince, shaking his head in dismay. "I would have to use force to make sure they're saved. They'll fight against it for sure, but eventually, the world we come to agree with my way of thinking, thanking me for saving them from the clutches of the grim reaper."

"I had enough of this!" Falcon said to his peers before facing the psychotic noble. "Release the Newcomer! You don't have the right to treat him like a battery!"

"Hmm…actually I do." Rubrum replied with a smile as he took a piece of paper of screen, pointing to a section that was written in black ink. "According to our constitution, Anyone who commit acts of violence on government property will be labeled as terrorists; and since terrorists can't have individual liberties, they can be held indefinitely. And do you know what he did? He committed an act of violence on government property. He attacked my men, some of them are in critical condition because of him."

"He's just a child!" Argued the captain, fumes coming out of his ears. "You're willing to put the kid through such pain?!"

"Yes." The noble said, appearing quite depressed. "I have to do this for my plan to be a success. It hurts me so much to torture the boy like this, but it's necessary. I hate myself for even thinking it, but if doing such evil will make the world a better place, then so be it." The prince curled his hand into a fist and place it near his chest. "I made a promise to myself and I plan to keep it. I'll make grant eternally peace to the WOT even if it kills me!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, calming down shortly after. "Hopefully I can make it up to the people I hurt when I'm finally casted to the pits of eternal fire."

"I…You…YOU WILL!" Yelled the man, raising his voice to match that of a deafening roar.

"Wait Falcon, don't-" Butted Snake, trying to stop the Veteran but he was too late.

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS YOU RED DEVIL! I'll STOP YOU WITH MY COLD DEAD HANDS!"

Rubrum face contorted from the protective rage he was feeling, gripping his staff with intense strength. "Oh I see, you don't want me to save the world because you're pissed off at me! WELL GUESS WHAT SON! I'm not going to let the planet die in vain because of your false sense of morality! I'll do anything to evolve the universe! **Even if I have to go through you**!"

The prince pointed to the camera, his eye twitching sporadically. "GET THEM!" The ants took out their weapons into their hands; staring the fighters down with an uncontrollable bloodlust.

Just before anyone made a move, Gunner did a simple prayer. Putting her hands together as she clenched her eyes shut. _'God, if you're hearing this, please…_ _ **Help us.**_

* * *

 **Hey guys, the chapter might be a bit late because of college and all, but i'll do my best to publish it on time**

 **Also the SYOE is still open, so there's still time to put in your enemy.**

 **Till next time.**


	21. Chapter 21: Too Close For Comfort

**Chapter 21: Too Close For Comfort**

The ants made the first move, sprinting like horses as they unsheathed their swords and gathered explosive snot within their jaws. "WE GOTTA GO!" Shouted Snake, lining up his pistol to take a couple of shots. "NOW!" The Smashers ran back to the alleyway they came from, narrowly avoiding beams of 1's and 0's, which came from the data weapons that R.O.B. mentioned earlier.

The team thought they could evade the mob by outrunning them, but the fighters were shocked when they saw more ants exiting out of their homes, armed with a various blunt and sharp instruments. They didn't know it, but not all drones came out into town square; some of them stayed in their houses. Watching the broadcast on the TV.

The crew felt intimidated by the sight, frozen by fear until the canine spoke up. _"We can't stay here! We need to move!"_

Gunner, as if on instinct, immediately objected. "But Lucario, There's too many!"

" _We got no other choice! Just push through them!"_ Upon hearing the command, the Smashers went into action, pulling out a variety of items out of their bags, making their great escape.

The civilians of Underground went on the attack, despite how large their numbers were, they had trouble catching the trophies; who were either getting thrown aside or being dodged by their enemies.

Two ants blindsided Fox and knocked the laser baster out of his hands; with one of his attackers pinning him down onto his back, strangling the life out of the pilot.

Fox tried to grab his gun that was laying right next to him, but it was out of reach. In the corner of his eye, he saw a guard approaching him, readying to smash his face in with digital hammer. Just when the vulpine thought he was done for, a rocket collided with the insect; blasting him away several feet on the ground.

Fox's strangler turned around to see Samus, pointing her cannon to its face. She blasted a ball of energy which launched the arthropod into a window of a house, knocking it out cold.

The armored woman lend a hand to the fallen Smasher but was shocked to see Fox aiming his pistol at her. He fired real close to Aran's helmet, her eye being partially blinded by the intense light.

She was confused, until the bounty hunter heard something slump to the ground behind her, Samus gave a quick glance to see an ant twitching slightly on the hard brick. The female fighter was about to respond, when she felt her being pulled along by a furry hand. "We have to catch up with others! Come on!" Said Fox as the both of them worked their legs to a pulp. When they caught up with the fighters, they were in awe to see what transpired in front of them.

R.O.B and Falcon were shooting down guards like no tomorrow, hitting with precise accuracy. The robot was using its laser eyes and Super Scope to take down targets from the right, whiles the male bounty hunter blasted everything on the left with his two ray guns.

Leading the team was Lucario and Snake. Both of the Veterans were in the process of clearing out the road, using a combination of punches, kicks, Aura Spheres, and grenades to make a clear path; with a frightened Gunner creeping up right behind the two; the fear making her shooting anything that moved.

"We're not out of the woods yet!" The solider shouted "Keep pushing!"

The Trophies took random turns to shake the dastardly foes off but to no success, things seemed to get worst when they found themselves corned in a dead-end.

"There's no way out!" Questioned the Fox. "This can't be happening!"

"We need to get out of here!" Stated Samus. "Does anyone see a potential exit?"

The Smashers took several seconds to investigate, but came empty handed, there was nothing significant in this area that even looks like an escape route. Nothing at all.

Nothing except…

"The Manhole!" Answered the Mii, pointing to a metal circle on the ground. "We can use that!"

The cover appeared to be mostly normal, the only part that was strange about it was an electronic device that was in the very center. It was keypad-based lock, hosting a set of buttons with unfamiliar symbols and letters. Which is unfortunate, considering none of them know the passcode.

"Great! This is just great!" Remarked the captain. "How are we going to get inside without a code!?"

Just as he finished speaking, R.O.B. ripped off the cover of the pad and plugged himself into the mainframe, leaving the group speechless.

"[I'm going to get it opened!]" He said. "[Guard me until I find the right answer! Our survival depends on it!]"

"But what if you can't unlock it in time?!" Asked Gunner.

"[Trust Me. I will.]" The robot said with confidence. To which he went to work.

"They're here!" Alerted Snake. A horde of ants were barging in the alleyway; screeching their war call. "Give it all you got!"

Captain Falcon broke away from the group by Falcon kicking to a guard, he then grabbed another enemy by the throat; performing a fiery punch to the gut as the insect went flying into a trio of drones.

This move put the bounty hunter wide-opened however; a solider ambushed the Veteran and hit his back with a strong swipe of a data sword. Because the Smasher was wearing a backpack, the captain was alright, but at the cost of his supplies; which spilled out onto the brick from the gaping hole in the bag.

The trophy tried to avenge his knapsack by throwing an uppercut to the ant's jaw, but the attacker caught his fist; diving his sword into the fighters chest. Due to his Smasher physiology, he won't be killed, or even be physically harmed by the blade; but his percentage will certainly rise from such an injury.

The insect pulled the weapon out of the bounty hunters chest and prepared the hit him again when all of a sudden, a jackal flying at the speed of sound kicked into the ant's abdomen; sending it flying into a brick wall.

Lucario growled as he fired the horde with his steel diver, he accompanied by fox; who alternated by throwing land mine and shooting his blaster.

" _Falcon, are you alright?!"_

"Ugh, a-okay." Groaned the fighter. "Just need a moment to regain my strength."

"YAHH!" Screamed Gunner. "THEY'RE COMING FROM ABOVE!"

Everyone looked upwards to see a handful of ant's coming down from the rooftops, climbing downwards on the building's architecture to reach their prey.

" _Oh God!"_ Exclaimed the blue canine as he called out to his friend _"SAMUS!-"_

"On it!" Said the armored women as she shot down several ants, the female fighter was about to shoot another solider, but a green projectile beat her to it. The orange bounty hunter glanced to see it was the Mii who fired. The shooter panted sporadically as she projected a blue beam at another enemy.

' _Seems like all that training had paid off._ ' Thought Samus as she continued her defending.

"We're losing leeway!" Stated Snake; being armed with his trusty pistol. "How long till it's opened!?"

"[It'll be opened soon!]" The robot told the solider.

"It has too be now R.O.B! We can't hold for much longer!" Replied Snake as he pulled the trigger.

"[I've almost got it!]" Answered the robot as he heard the beep of the number pad, indicating he got the code. "[I got it! We can get in!]"

"Alright, you guys go first! Lucario and I will cover you." Said Snake.

"But Snake-" Objected Gunner before being interrupted.

" _Not up for discussion! Do it now!"_

R.O.B took off the cover and allowed Captain Falcon to go first, who was closely followed by Gunner and Samus, who climbed down the ladder to the darkness below. The American solider and the Pokemon launched a series of bullets and aura spheres before they jumped down the hole as well.

The last one to go was the robot, who climbed down the ladder as he placed the manhole cover back on; frying the keypad so the horde can't follow them underground.

The ants howled in mindless rage as they banged on the metal circle. Leaving marks on the cover as they scratched it with their hands.

* * *

The sewer was dark, cold, and worst of all: pungent. The only source of light available was the flashlight built inside R.O.B.'s head; providing luminescence for the team. They were in a large tunnel, which had been corroded with age. Skeletons of small critters could be visible on the floor, and sounds of banging and howling could be heard form above.

"That was too close!" Said Falcon.

"Yeah, too close for comfort." Agreed Samus.

"So now that we escaped the mob, how do stop Rubrum and save the Newcomer?" Asked Fox. "We don't have a clue on what to do."

" _We'll figure it out."_ Answered Lucario _"We've been through worst before, if we put our heads together we will get through this."_ The canine then looked at Snake, who was looking at the branching paths that were up ahead. _"Anything on your mind Snake?"_

"I was thinking about our current position." Replied the solider. "What if we use the sewer system to reach Rubrum's palace? We'll have a better chance of being undetected if we go that route."

"What you know where he lives?" Asked Falcon.

" _Oh yeah I forgot, this is your first time here in Underground."_ Remarked Lucario. _"Yes we do know where he lives, he takes up residency in Redstone palace, it's basically a large standard mansion painted entirely red; apparently it's his favorite color."_

"Okay, but how do we reach the palace?" Said Samus. "This sewer is like a maze."

" _Hmm. We can possibly…uh, Gunner are you okay."_ The Pokemon asked the shooter, who is now shaking uncontrollably.

The Mii didn't feel the whole weight of the situation because of the adrenaline running throughout her system, but now that's it's worn off, the anxiety was controlling her mind, making her feel that's it's the end of the world. "We're gonna die, We're gonna die. Oh god we're gonna die! It's hopeless!"

"Gunner, calm dow-"

"NO!" Gunner interrupted Snake. "I can't calm down! How can I calm down when the worlds at stake! I can't believe it this happening! I can't do this! I CAN'T DO THIS!" Shouted the Mii as she slumped to the floor; her knees up to her chest as she sobbed uncontrollably into her hands.

Everyone stood silent, not knowing on what to till until Lucario knelt down to the Newcomer, grabbing her hands into his paws. _"Gunner, I need you to listen to me."_

"But I-'

" _Trust me, it'll help."_ Said Lucario. _"What's your name?"_

The shooter blinked a couple of times, not understand what the jackal was doing but answered anyway.

"Gunner."

" _What's your favorite color?"_

"Orange."

" _What's your favorite food?"_

"Popcorn."

As the Mii answered the questions, Lucario had been secretly inputing a soothing aura into Gunner's body, calming her down.

" _Are you feeling okay?"_

"I…I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling to be honest."

" _That's alright."_ Said the Pokémon; putting his paws on her shoulder. _"You're under a lot of stress. You've never been in a situation like this before, it's understandable."_

"But that doesn't change the fact that we're in danger!" Replied Gunner; sniffling her nose. "We're up against a psycho who wants to turn the world into robots! We can't let that happen but…How are we going to stop him? It's seven against an army of thousands. I fear that it's hopeless."

Gunner then felt an intangible pressure on her chin; Lucario was lifting her head up to meet his eyes. _"It's never hopeless Gunner, thing may seem impossible now but that's all in the mind."_

"But they are too powerful!"

" _So was Tabuu, he thought he was unbeatable, but then we defeated him; putting an end to his quest to destroy the Omniverse. Rubrum may be a force of nature, but he's not invincible. We're the Smash Brothers."_ Stated Lucario, trying to encourage the girl. _"We've been through hell n back, and lived to tell the tale. If we can stop a god, then a mad prince is no match for us."_

"But I'm not strong as you guys!" Retorted Gunner. "I'm new to this world, the rest of you have been here way longer than me. I suck at fighting. I-"

"You did quite well when you tried to evade us at the mansion." Said Samus. "Even though you were captured, you put up quite a fight."

"Yeah I supposed I did, but-"

"[And back in the alleyway, even though you're still in training, you did a good job at protecting me from the ants.]"

"But that was different!" Said Gunner. "I was either running away or I had assistance. I'm not good at one-to-one combat. What if lose? What if I'm defeated and I become a trophy? What if-"

" _That won't happen."_ Lucario Said firmly. _"Gunner I swear on my existence that we won't let anything happen to you. You'll be protected."_

"You promise?" Asked Gunner.

" _Promise."_

The Mii got up from the floor with the help of Lucario, feeling much better. "So what do we do now?'

"We have to find the Newcomer." Responded Fox. "Without him, Rubrum plan will fall to pieces."

"But how are we going to find the Newcomer?"

"[We can use Lucario's aura vision to help us find our guy.]" The robot told the group.

The canine shook his head. _"My aura vision can only see at a certain distance. It'll mostly likely not work."_

"It's worth a shot." Spoke Snake. "It's not like we have much options to go with anyway."

The jackal shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, seeing the world with his sixth sense. He yelped in shock to what he discovered.

"What you find!" Asked Snake.

The canine stayed silent for a moment before answering. _"I recognize this aura! This is the same aura that all Smashers have when they're born into this world! I think I just found the Newcomer."_

"But I thought you just said that your aura vision can't go that far?" Questioned the Mii.

" _It can't._ _"_ Stated the Pokemon. _"That means one of two things: The Newcomer must have a very strong life-force; or something is amplifying his aura, mostly caused by that damned prince!"_

"Do you think we can reach him by using the tunnels?" Asked the armored woman.

" _It's possible, but like you said earlier, this sewer is a maze. We have to use our wits if we're going to find the Newcomer in time."_

"If that's the case, we have to go now! Time is of the essence!" Said Captain Falcon as he ran down the tunnel.

"I agree with the bounty hunter!" Declared Fox. "If we don't act soon, them the fate of the world is sealed! Let's get moving!"

The team nodded in agreement before running after the Veteran; venturing into the darkness beyond.

* * *

The seven smashers were running through the halls of the sewers for 20 minutes, just as morale was about to falter, Lucario alerted the group to a section of the wall that appeared to be weakened with age. The canine put his paws up the brick and concentrated with the power of his mind.

"Why are we stopping?" Questioned Captain Falcon. "Did you find something?"

The jackal stayed silent for several seconds before responding. _"The Newcomer is here, behind the wall."_

"Are you sure about that?" Gunner politely asked, looking over his shoulders.

" _My aura sense has never failed me, I'm certain that he's here."_

"Okay, we found the Newcomer, great. Now all we have to do is get to him." Stated Fox. "So how are we going to get through this wall?"

"We could mark this place, and try to find another entrance inside." Suggested Samus.

"[That'll take too much time, not to mention we'll most likely have to deal with the palace's security.]" Explained R.O.B.

"Well then, let's take a more direct approach." Said Falcon as he fist were covered in flames. "FALCON-"

"WAIT!" Someone had placed a hand on the captain's shoulder, the bounty hunter turned around to see that it was Snake who had stopped him from acting.

"I got a better solution." The solider took a pack of C4 from his belt. "This will be much more effective in taking that wall down."

Falcon was disappointed, not being allowed to do his signature special but allowed Snake to do his magic. Once he placed the charges, he directed the group away from the blast radius, with the Smashers taking cover behind some pipes.

"Is everyone ready?" Asked the solider.

 _They all nodded._

"Alright, here we go." He remarked, taking a deep breath as he pressed the button on the detonator. An explosion erupted in the tiny corridor, making the Smashers plug their ears from the echoing sounds. When the fighters opened their eyes, they saw that the bomb that Snake had set was now replace by a rather large hole.

" _We have entry! Let's go!"_ Roared Lucario as the rest of the team followed him into the next area. "What kind of place is this?" Questioned Gunner.

"A really creepy one." Said Falcon as he observed his surroundings. The trophies found themselves in a large circular room, around the size of a school gym. The floor was entirely made of electric panels and wires, humming and beeping in a random order, TV screens and robotic claws hanged from the ceiling, and a large metal cylinder was placed in the center of the room; appearing well maintained and new.

North of them was a child attached to a steel wall, strapped down from the belts that held his body together, he winced in pain whiles the wire and cables had their way with him. He was truly defenseless.

"[There he is!]" Exclaimed R.O.B.

The gang ran to the Newcomer and tried to get him down but to no success.

"Hello! Can you hear me?!" Asked Samus.

"Ugh…What?" Said the child, opening his eyes. His heart jumped with joy when he saw the Smash Brothers, being hopefully that they could free him from this prison. "Oh thank my creator! Are you guys here to save me."

"That's why we're here." Answered Fox as he pulled on one of the belts. "We got wind of your presence and we decided to help you out. Do you think you can tell me what happened to you before you got captured?"

The child thought for a few seconds before replying. "I don't know, I just woke up here in a lab somewhere, I tried to find someone but I was attacked! I tried to fight back but they got me. I've been stuck on this wall ever since I got caught."

"Don't worry kid-"

"It's Mega Man."

"In that case, don't worry Mega Man, we'll get you out no time pronto!"

"[FOX WATCH OUT!]" Said the R.O.B.

"Huh?" The vulpine had no time to react when the robot pulled him away from the Newcomer, a laser grid was activated, turning on the lasers to block entry from the boy; missing the fox by a hair.

"What the-where did this came from?" Shouted Falcon.

"What's happening? Should I be worried?" Asked Mega Man.

The Lucario ignored his question. _"Seems like a security mechanism! We're in a trap!"_

"Right you are, you blue mutt." Beamed a voice around them, The Smashers looked up to see that the monitors have turned on, revealing the dastardly prince once again. "And you fell right into it, but I must say, I have to give you an A for your effort coming down here, no one else had the guts needed to do so."

Falcon's face scowled with fury, "Enjoy that smug whiles you can, you red son of a bitch! Because soon I'm going to rip it off with my bare fists!"

Rubrum did a fake exasperated gasp. "Oh such ferociousness! I just wanted to have a good friendly conversation."

"Like how friendly it went last time when you let your guards do the talking."

"Okay, okay." The prince rolled his eyes. "So I may have unleashed my army on you, my bad. I have bad impulses when it comes to my temper. But that's all in the past." Said the noble leaning over to the camera. "I hope to make peace with you."

"Peace?!" Shouted Samus "What do you mean?"

"I already know by now that you don't have a kind view of my plan." Replied the prince as he rubbed his staff with his hands. "But I'm here to tell you, it's really for the best. Everyone will be grateful to what I'm doing."

"I'm not feeling grateful." Strained Mega Man, struggling against his restraints.

"Trust me, my robotic friend; you'll learn to love it when it comes to pass." Replied the ant, tipping his crown. "But as I was saying, I would love it if we formed a partnership together."

" _A partnership?!"_ Questioned Lucario. _"Why would we do that?"_

"I'm aware of your duty to save this world from impending disasters, I imagine it's quite stressful and dangerous to risk your live repeatedly over every single mission. One simple problem could lead the Omniverse in ruins. Don't you wish there was a better, more permeant solution to fix this once and for all?" The noble smiled lightly.

"You want us to help you turn everyone in the WOT into robots?" Said Gunner, catching on pretty quickly.

"I want to evolve them; there is a huge difference, but none the less you are correct Miss Sunshine." Answered Rubrum. "This deal will work for the both of us."

"I fail to see how." Commented Fox, pointing his blaster at the screen

"Think of it." Explained the prince. "This realm is very big, so big in fact that I bet even you have trouble keeping in track of the world, and guess what? _It's still expanding._ " Said the noble as an image of a map was placed behind him. "I imagine that an abomination like Tabuu will have no problem hiding from the likes from the WOT's protectors. Just think of the chaos if someone like that came to fruition, would you the time and tools necessary to take them down?"

"Will can manage hunting down such monsters, like you." The bounty hunter told the tyrant. "I still don't see how this connects to your point."

"That's because you're not looking at the bigger picture." Spoke the prince. "If every living creature on this land became 'evolved' the WOT will have a better chance at defending itself from evil, as well as saving them from the cruel fate of death. It will be-"

"[No.]" Replied R.O.B.

"No?"

"[No, your plan won't save them. You say that this is the best thing to do but's it's not. Making them _evolved_ as you so call it, turns them into empty husks of their former selves. They are just mindless cogs in a well-oiled machine. They may be alive in the flesh but they're dead in spirit. And that's coming from me, the robot!]"

"But they stay immortal forever!" Argued Rubrum "Surely that'll be a better fate than death."

"Death may be a pain, but living forever is a cruel fate." Responded Snake. "Watching the world change to constantly, watching everyone you loved and care become buried within the ground, having no end in sight for your life. It would be a nightmare for most people." The solider reloaded his gun. "We should know better than anyone of course, it's our curse after all. Death, as pain and grim as it may be, is the ultimate climax of life, the gateway to a better afterlife."

"I see." The noble nodded his head sternly. "I assume he speaks for all of you?"

The team stayed silent in solidarity, answering the tyrants question without even speaking a word.

"Well then, I you're not with me, you're against me. I won't let you disrupt my plans." Rubrum stated as he clenched his staff tightly, his sly personality deforming into a ruthless cold expression.

"So what now? You're going to send your drones after us?" Said Falcon.

"I would love to, but I'm afraid that's not possible." Spoke the ant. "After many incidents and complications with my guards patrolling my underground base, I programmed them to make them stay away from this area. The only protecting this place, is me."

"If that's how it's going to be, then show yourself." Demanded Fox, "hiding from combat is the coward's way."

"As you wish." The cylinder's metal casing started to open up, the shield peeled away like a blooming flower in the springtime, to reveal a large transparent capsule, inside was a brain with wires and cable running into it, being submerged in a familiar blue liquid.

" _What the?"_ Spoke the canine.

"You're probably confused to why there's a brain inside a jar in front of you. Let you give me some context." The prince said clearing my throat. "I told you guys once that I survived a deadly disease that took out my entire linage. Correct?" The prince directing the question to the Veterans of the group.

"Yeah, so?" Replied the armored woman.

"What I neglected to mention, was that I actually became infected with the plague."

"You were infected?!" Blurted out Gunner.

"Oh yes I was." Rubrum nodded on the TV. "I was certain I'd be dead for sure, but I lived. I supposed it had to do with my unique genetic, but that doesn't matter. What matters is what happened after. When I was finally cured, I was horrified to find out that the disease had cause me to develop cancer within major parts of my body. Ensuring that my flesh was not long for this world, but I found a way to live, I had my brain removed and placed in that device over there." He stated, pointing to the transparent cylinder.

"What?!" Exclaimed the vulpine. "So that's why you look different." He said to himself before asking another question. "How did you manage to achieve this?! A machine of this caliber would be impossible to build!"

"I thought so too." The prince told the mammal "But I've met a guy who managed to get it done."

"Met a guy?" Snaked chimed in.

"Oh yes. A guy." Reaffirmed Rubrum "He came wandering in my palace, wanting to have a chat with me. I was about to arrest him for trespassing when he showed me the schematics to his new invention, the brain capsule. I forgave his crimes, he finished constructing the device, he requested _'something'_ from me, I gave him that _'something_ , and then he left; never to return. _'_ "

"He was an odd yet charming lad, his body was entirely made from pink-colored lines; looking similar to a human, he wore a stupid scientist jacket, but he made up for it with his stylish shades. And he had the weirdest name: **FW**. I mean come on! FW!? Your parents must really hate you them to call you that!"

"YOU KNOW FW?!" Samus shouted in shock, not believing to what she's hearing.

The noble raised an eyebrow in intrigue, before giving out a devilish smile. "Indeed I have, have you guys met? Perhaps an old friend of yours?"

Gunner ignored him and spoke her own question "Do you know where we can find him?! It's really important!"

The prince shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry child, but FW wasn't courteous enough to leave his home address. Besides, even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you ruffians at all! It would be silly of me to tell you information that could be used against me!" Rubrum said as he snapped his fingers.

The claws came further down from the celling; they were activated with a purpose, ready to crush the fighters between their metal grips.

"Ha, doesn't matter. We'll get that info out of you one way or another." Captain Falcon cracked his knuckles with glee. "After all, it's seven against one, I doubt your gadgets will be able to save you from us."

"Oh trust me, pal." The tyrant chuckled heavily. "I have my ways to level out the playing field. Just. Like. THIS!" The prince snapped both of his hands at once; signaling a command to the brain capsule, which turned on a red light on the very top the machine.

Almost immediately, Snake and R.O.B. writhed in pain.

"[MY HEAD! I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT!]"

"I'm feeling numb! What's going on!?"

" _What's happening to you two?!"_ Shouted Lucario.

"Just watch." The prince said plainly. When the robot and solider stopped their squirming, they quickly stood on either side of the cylinder. R.O.B's eyes was glowing red, a clear sign to say he's not himself, it was like a foreign influence had taken complete control over his mind. The Veteran stayed still as he await orders.

Snake was the complete opposite, instead of complying, he moved his head side to side in frustration whiles his body remain motionless. "My body won't listen to me! What did you do!?" The solider seethed to a nearby monitor.

"I saw an opportunity, and I went for it!" Said Rubrum, twirling around his staff. "Whiles we were talking, I took some scans on the seven of you, and found out that you and that buckets of bolts over there were able to be hacked into to. This makes senses because your friend is a robot, but I'm curious about you, you are an organic based lifeform, made completely of flesh and blood. How is it possible for me to control you?"

Snake eyes widen in realization, he cringed as he muttered "My nano-machines."

"Guess that explains it."

"NO!" Shouted Gunner. "You can't do this!"

"Actually, I can." The prince said softly. "I meant what I said earlier, I am dedicated to my cause, and I won't let anyone get in my way. You knew this might happened, but you did it anyway." He tapped his staff against the floor, cuing the controlled fighters to take their battling stance. "I gave you a chance to walk away, and you ignored it. So you'll have to deal with the consequences. Time to reap what you sow!"

The mad tyrant took a deep breath, inhaling the air into his lungs to speak out. The Smashers were put on edge from the moment he gave the command.

" **ATTACK!"**

* * *

 **Hey Guys, I found that my Finals end at the 26 of May, so I have keep my mind track on things.**

 **Also, I wanted to hear your guy's opinion. Do you like the direction this story is taking so far, If you say yes or no, then tell me in the reviews. I'm always forward to see criticism.**

 **Till next time.**


	22. Chapter 22: Broken Promises

**Chapter 22: Broken Promises**

Snake and R.O.B. attacked first, the robot emitted lasers from his vision, whiles the solider pulled the trigger on his SOCOM. In turn, the Smashers who were not controlled made their move. Fox, Samus, Captain Falcon went over to battle R.O.B., whiles Lucario and Gunner went to deal with Snake.

The race drive did his raptor boost towards his teammate, in hopes of knocking him out of his trance, but missed when the robot dodged out of the way, R.O.B did a little spin as he slammed a claw into the back of the Veterans neck; sending him to the ground.

The vulpine dashed and kicked a couple of times in the robotic Smashers chest, he got a few hits before R.O.B. shot his gyro at his gut, leaving him defenseless on the floor. The R.O.B. picked up his top to dive it into the mammal, when he noticed Samus charging up her cannon. She fired an energy ball at her former friend.

R.O.B. generated a force-field around himself, blocking the sphere from hitting him, the Veteran then fired his laser on the draw, the intense beam of light hitting the female bounty hunter in her face, temporally: stunning her as she collided with a nearby wall.

When the robot went back to deal with Fox, he was surprised to see the furry Smasher to jump back up and wrestle the robotic Veteran to the ground. Captain Falcon got back up and exclaimed to Fox "We can't let Rubrum control him any longer! What should we do?!"

"We need to knock R.O.B. into his trophy state!" Said the vulpine as he pressed his body weight onto the robot. "We can revive him after we deal with the prince."

"Okay!" Responded Falcon as he winded his fist back. "FALCON-" But was interrupted, when one of the two robot claws hanging from the celling swoop down and grabbed the fighter by the torso, holding him high into the air.

"Good try, but once again you failed!" The noble insulted from the monitors.

"Falcon!" Yelled the vulpine before he was blasted off by a well-placed laser from his opponent's visor.

Fox felt an intense headache when he hit the glossy floor, when he opened his eyelids, he saw R.O.B. towering over him, staring him down with his beady red eyes. As he was preparing another laser, a blue boomerang hit him in the neck, knocking him down to the ground.

Stunned to be saved again, his eyes tracked the boomerang. It did a little circle before coming back to Samus; catching the tool in her right hand. Fox swore he heard her say ' _Thank god I packed this._ ' When she came over to the vulpine. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Rubrum caught Falcon!" He explained as he pointed up; the captain struggled as the claw pressed tighter around him, squeezing the living crud out of the Smasher.

"Damn." Stated Samus.

"We have to get him down!"

"I agree to that, but I think we're a bit occupied at the moment." The armored woman pointed over to R.O.B getting back up from the floor, readying his stance, projecting a beam of intense light to his former friends.

Fox in response, pulled out his reflector, and redirected the ray into one of the monitors. "This is not my day." He sarcastically said as him and the bounty hunter leap into action; being prepared to take R.O.B. down for the count.

Meanwhile Snake was firing his gun at Lucario and Gunner; the Mii ran with panic to avoid the bullets, whiles the jackal did a series of flips and dashes to dodge the metal projectiles. When he got close, he kicked the firearm out of the soldier's hand. Prompting the Smashers to get in the fist-fight.

As the two friends were fighting each other; dealing blows and blocking their attacks, they had a dire conversation. Snake spoke first "Lucario, I can't use my body! I'm trying my best to regain control, but it's not working!" He said as he landed an uppercut to the Pokémon's snout.

" _It's not your fault, Rubrum is making you do this! Try to resist as much as you can! I will do anything I can to help!"_ The blue canine said as he delivered a kick to Snake's gut.

They were pushing up against one another, hoping to subdue the other. As they fought, the second claw lined its sights to the duo, it had a blaster built into the palm; charging up data to fire off.

When Gunner stopped running, she notice Lucario and Snake fighters, alongside the arm that was going to shoot at them. _'Oh no! The things going to hurt them! I got to do something! But What? WHAT?!'_ She thought before remembering that attack she did on Charizard when she first came to the mansion.

"That's it!" She said to herself, aiming her cannon at the robotic claw "Hope this works!" the shooter held her breath as she discharged a powerful blue laser from his device. The beam hit the arm, making it cancel its attack as the device accidently swung into the other appendage that was holding Captain Falcon; which dropped the fighter on impact.

The Veteran hit the ground with a loud thud, paralyzed with pain.

"Please! Stop This!" Screamed Mega Man.

"I'll stop when you guys decide to surrender." Boomed Rubrum. "Just give it a rest, and everything will be fine!"

When the bounty hunter opened his eyes, the sight of Lucario and Snake fighting came into view, with the solider putting the jackal in a headlock, chocking the life out of him. Upon seeing that his friend was in trouble, he quickly got up and did a falcon kick to Snake's face, freeing the captor as the American's backpack fell on the ground; spilling its contents on the metal floor.

The solider became stunned with confusion before realizing what happened, breathing out a sigh of relief; mentally thanking the captain for stopping him from choking his friend. It didn't last, however. Snake's controlled body sprang into action, forcing the Smasher to perform an uppercut, but was blocked by Lucario.

The canine kicked him back as couple of feet, when he got back to his feet, he reluctantly cracked his knuckles. Sprinting to the duo as the three of them exchanges a series of punches and blocks, both hoping that this battle will be bloodless as possible.

As Gunner was deciding on what to do next, she felt something long and thin bump into her shoe. Looking down she saw a star rod next to her foot, which unknown to the mii came from the spilled backpack.

The shooter picked up the wand, perceiving it up close. The observation was interrupted when she heard loud shouts of pain. Rotating her head to the right, she could see that Samus and Fox were struggling against R.O.B. They were barely getting any hits in whiles the Robot was continuing to get success blows on the two.

At that moment, Gunner had an idea. She shouted at the top of her lungs in desperation. "FOX!"

The vulpine did a quick glance to the Mii, wondering why she called his name until he saw the weapon in her hand.

"CATCH!" Gunner exclaimed as he toss the stick in the direction of the mammal; who caught it perfectly in his paw. The furry fighter then used the rod to project a projectile of a shiny star at R.O.B.

The attack hit the robot in the face, making him fall on his back with stunning pain. He tried to get up, but was constricted by Samus's grabble beam. Ensuring that the mind controlled Smasher cannot do anymore harm.

When Gunner saw R.O.B. was taken care of, she looked back at Snake, only to see him being subdued Lucario. He struggled under the Pokemon's grip, who had wrapped his arms under the soldier's shoulders.

"Thanks for stoping me." Said Snake, panting heavily.

" _Don't mention it."_ Replied Lucario, feeling quite tired.

The Mii felt relieved that the two rouge Smashers were taken care of. The relief did last long; one of the arms from above whacked into her backside a forced her to crash into the cylinder.

"GUNNER!" Shouted Falcon.

"Didn't want to hurt you girl, but you leave me no choice." Stated Rubrum as he directed his attention to the rest of the group, appearing quite upset. "Looks like using your own friends against you wasn't that effective. Shame"

"Well sorry to disappoint you!" Seethed Snake as his body squirmed under Lucario's hold. "I guess we're too powerful for you to handle!"

"And now that you're all alone, we'll just have to handle you!" Said Samus.

"Over my dead body!" Declared the prince, forming his hand into a fist. "I'll die before I let that happen! You may have taken down my toys, but I still have one trick under my sleeve!"

The noble than pressed a button that was built into his staff, pressing it with ultimate fury. The wires attached to Mega Man started to pulsate, drawing energy from the Newcomer. The child screamed with agony as he struggled against his binds!

"yaaaAAAHHHHH! STOP IT! IT HURTS!"

" _NO!"_ Exclaimed Lucario!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!" Asked Fox.

"This boy has a source of power that I haven't seen before, his code is very useful for powering my circuits." Explain Rubrum, feeling very displeased with his own actions. "I didn't want it come down to this, but you leave me no choice." More robotic arms came down from above; glowing with untold amounts of data. "And now, I have to take care of you the hard way!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Yelled Falcon as he ran over to the transparent cylinder and performed his Falcon Punch, but was surprised that the capsule didn't shatter under his brute force.

"What the-" Was all that the captain could say before being blasted away by a beam of data.

"That's not glass you know, the container is made from hard cut diamond! Not even a tank could break through it!" The prince told the group as he got close to the camera. "Speaking of the container, that capsule to which my brain is connected to, allows me to control everything in this city! Such as the buildings, the citizens, and of course. THESE ARMS!" Shouted Rubrum as he used one of his robotic claws to slam into Lucario and Snake; having them hit against the wall as they slumped down to the floor.

"And because I have so much control, I have gained power! That power, allows me to closer and close to my goal! With eventually, gives me the certainty, to grasp victory in my hand!" Continued the noble as he used three separate appendages to grab Fox, Samus, and R.O.B between the metal grips, holding them with constricting force.

As the tyrant was finishing his monologue, Gunner got up to her knees to view the situation. Her friends have either been restrained or incapacitated. If things didn't improve soon, Rubrum will win.

' _No, we were so close! I can't let this happen, I can't let him do this to my team.'_ Thought the Mii _'There's has to be something I can do, but how am I going to stop all of this? Perhaps there is something around here! But I can't see anything that could help! I…Wait! What is that?!'_

The shooter had found an object of interest on the bottom of the capsule; a small hatch that was attached to the metal part of the cylinder. She open the cover to reveal as circuit board, with a tiny blue sphere in the very center of it. It looks like it was powering this infernal machine.

' _This has to be a power source of some sort! If I take it out, I might save everyone!'_ The girl reached in and pulled the component out. It was very cold in her hand, as if she picked up a piece of ice in her palm. Gunner put it into her pocket for safe keeping.

"So that is why-arghh!" Rubrum voice yelled out in pain; his arms and monitors begin to glitch. The data flow coming from Mega Man began to falter, allowing the boy to rest; the claws carrying R.O.B, Fox, and Samus loosen their grip, giving the Smashers a chance to escape; and the hacking influence that was affecting the robot and solider cease to exist, allowing them full control of their bodies.

"I can feel my limbs, the connections been broken!" Said Snake.

"[What? Who? What's going on!?]" Questioned R.O.B.

Rubrum image on the screen was becoming static, he was clutching his gut as if something had actually hurt him. "Why am I feeling *BZZT* like this? What could have-Wait! *BZZT* IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT!" Shouted the prince, pointing in the direction of the orange fighter.

The Newcomer backed away a couple of step, petrified with fear. An arm grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her in the air. She let out a shriek as she was directed to one of the TV screens, featuring an enraged Rubrum. The Mii squirmed in fear from the sight of his black eyes.

Lucario as he was getting up looked at the noble and Newcomer hanging from above, their faces only inches away from each other. _'NO! She's in trouble!''_

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TOUCH MY *BZZT* CIRCUTS! THAT COMPARTMENT WAS A SECRET!" Roared Rubrum, snapping his staff on his thigh. "NOW BE A GOOD GIRL AND *BZZT* GIVE ME BACK THE BLUE GEM!"

It was that moment when Gunner felt a pang of bravery, she reluctantly took a deep breath as the shooter closed her eyes. "No. I can't give it to you! You'll use it for evil!"

"EVIL! OH TRUST ME, YOU'll *BZZT* KNOW WHEN I'M EVIL!" Shouted the prince. "NO MATTER! I FIND THAT BLUE THING MYSELF, I BET YOU HAVE IT DON'T *BZZT* YOU? PERHAPS IN YOUR *BZZT* POCKET?"

She stayed dead silent, taking a huge gulp.

"I THOUGHT SO! *BZZT* TIME TO TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS!" He declared as he had another arm approach Gunner; but because the gem was removed from the capsule, it create a series of glitches in the Rubrum's mainframe as a result, causing many malfunctions; including the control of his limbs.

"ARGHH! *BZZT* CAN'T CONTROL MY ARMS! IT GOING HAYWIRE!" Said the tyrant as he accidently flung Gunner into a nearby robot claw. The girl hit the device with high momentum, causing a huge dent in it as she fell to the floor below.

She hit the ground face-first, taking a huge chunk of percent, thanks to her being a Smasher, she was unharmed. As Gunner tried to get up, the trophy heard a loud creaking sound coming from above. The fighter turned on her back to see a large detached arm falling towards her direction.

"AHHHHHH-"

*CRASH*

She was cut mid scream as the giant claw fell on her; crushing the Newcomer's body. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked in horror to what happened to the Mii, even Rubrum was shocked, he did not mean for it to go down this way.

The most distraught of all was Lucario. His tear ducts were flowing upon seeing the tragedy, his senses went weak and his vision went blood red; the only thing running through his mind was a sentence. It was a simple set of words, but it sent his body on fire upon realizing what it meant.

' _I broke my promise.'_

* * *

 **Hey guys, Crystal Brick here, I got some bad news**

 **I failed my final an I'm some what depressed, hopefully this grade won't determine my life, but i hope this will get better**

 **Anyway I hoped you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Till next time.**


	23. Chapter 23: Rage

**Chapter 23: Rage  
**

 _'I broke my promise.'_

The same words ran through his mind again, but it stung just the same. _'I failed to protect her, I failed to save her when her life was in peril.'_ The canine paw balled into a fist; his body tensing up with rage as everything went red. _'And it's all HIS FAULT!'_

Lucario ran with extreme speed, jumping high into the air, ripping off one of the claw off from the celling as he blasted another claw with aura sphere. A shot of pain erupted in his gut as a beam of data blasted into him, mostly likely from another robot arm.

The fighters resumed their fighting with Rubrum. Samus, Fox, and Robot were doing their best battling the metallic appendages from above, whiles Captain Falcon struggled to lift the debris that crushed Gunner, with Snake covering him with his pistol and grenades.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." The prince said to himself anxious. He tried to harm the Smashers, yes. But never to kill them. He did send his army to hunt them down but he mentally ordered them to take the intruders out Non Lethally. It's been his life's purpose to prevent death. And now he's broken his code. If only he had been carefully she would still be alive. And it's all his fault.

The jackal slammed into the floor with a hard thud, landing on Snake's backpack; proving a decent landing. He groggily open his eyes to see the chaos, Rubrum and the trophies were fighting tooth and nail, causing much destruction to the room.

' _I got to stop him, I can't let him win!'_

When the Lucario tried to get up, he felt something round and warm touch his arm. He looked to his right to see a Smash Ball right next to him, glowing with a multitude of colors.

The Pokémon blinked a couple of times before furrowing his eyebrows. He grabbed for the Smash Ball, His body tingled as he pressed his paws against it. When he broke it, the canine felt a surge of new power ruin through his veins; taking a deep breath as he opened eyes to reveal two yellow pupils.

Everyone looked at him as he screamed _"MAX AURA!"_ Transforming into a Mega-Evolved Lucario.

The Smasher snarled in rage as he jumped in the air, and started to take down the arms one by one—like a shark chomping down his prey. However this was fruitless, more claws came down to replace the one's that feral fighter destroyed. He was hit by two data beams as he was blasted to the floor, to which he quickly got up.

"Please, just stop." Said Rubrum, the tone of his voice suggesting he was pleading instead of begging. "You cannot win this battle, I'll only send more arms to deal with you all. Let's just talk about this!" Asked the prince, his words fell on deaf ear however as the Smashers were too busy fighting to listen.

Lucario growled in frustration, he hated to admit it, but the bastard has a point. The canine might be powerful but it won't last for long, soon his final smash will end and he'll go back to normal; being severally weakened for the arms to strike him. With the claws being controlled by his brain it-

' _Wait!'_ Thought the jackal _'The brain! It controls every part of this city, including the arms!'_ His body tensed up upon realizing what he must do.

Springing up into action, the Pokémon immediately sprinted to the capsule; winding up his fist with glowing aura.

"What are you do-OH WAIT! NO NOO NOOO!" Hollered Rubrum as the Trophy slammed his fist into the container. The power of Lucario's Mega-Evolved form allowed him to generate enough strength for him to penetrate the diamond barrier. The heat created from the punch ignited a chain-reaction from the mucus inside, creating an explosion that erupted in the middle of the room.

All of the Smashers close their eyes and shielded themselves with their force fields, when the dust settled, they could see Lucario, just standing there panting as he tried to catch a breath, the power of the Smash Ball allowed him to be temporary invincible to damage, which is the reason why he wasn't harmed or even blown back from the explosion.

The canine glowed with bright light as he reverted back to his original form, still trying to collect himself.

"UgH *BZZT* I cAn'T *BZZT* BeLiEvE ThIs Is *BZZT* Happening!" A glitched distorted voice exclaimed down below. Lucario looked down to see the brain of Rubrum, just lying there on the floor. The organ apparently survived the explosion, however it was gravely wounded: Burns and cuts were all present on the cerebrum, with a tiny piece missing from it.

The canine knelt next to it, readying to punch it to a pulp until it spoke again. "I'm *BZZT* sorry! I dIdN't want to hurt any of you *BZZT* JuSt *BZZT* CaPtUrE! I dIdN'T Mean *BZZT* HuRTTT! Girl. I…I…I.," Was all that Rubrum could say before succumbing to his injuries, the voice getting quieter and quieter before fading out completely, dying in a puddle of it's own juices.

At the moment when Rubrum died, the binding holding down Mega Man released, allowing him to fall on to floor. A couple of the Smashers tried to help him up whiles Lucario was deep in though, too shocked to move.

The Pokémon looked down at his paws in horror to see the blue mucus still sticking onto his fur.

Murder. He had just committed murder. His life's teaching and training taught him all about on how precious life is, that is the one sacred thing that no one should take from anybody. And he just did that. Kill someone in cold blood, the one line that no one should cross. He was now a murderer.

Lucario shuddered uncontrollably on his knees, too shocked out of his mind to react, before he can do anything else. A deep voice called out to him.

"Lucario!"

The jackal turned his head around to see most of the Smashers trying to lift off the arm that feel on Gunner. The group appeared visible strained as they did their best to get rid of the piece of junk, but to no success. "We need your help. Come on!"

The canine was taken back to reality; he remembered why he got angry in the first place, to why he'd fought so intensely against the tyrant. He used his extreme speed to move to the arm, grabbing onto the bottom as the group tried their hardest to get the thing off.

"Here. Let me try." Mega Man said as he put one of his arms under the metal frame. Flipping the arm off to the side as they saw to what happened to the shooter.

Gunner had turned to what she feared, she'd became a trophy, the statue lied on it's side as the fighters stayed silent to the revelation.

" _No."_ Spoke the Lucario as he quickly crouched down to tap the statue on the golden plate it was standing on.

The trophy glowed with light before it reverted back to normal. Gunner gave a harsh gasp as she lifted her back of the floor, turning her head side to side. Confused on what's going on.

"What…Who…What happened?! Where's Rubrum?!" Questioned the Mii, being clearly distressed.

Lucario put a paw on her shoulder as he did his best to calmly explain to her what happened. _"Gunner, Rubrum is no more. We…took him down before he could do anymore harm."_ Replied Lucario, leaving out details to not further upset the Newcomer.

"You defeated him?" Said Gunner. "How did you do that. Wait. Why don't I remember seeing him being taken out? What happened to me?"

The blue Veteran gave a sigh before answering. _"Gunner, the reason to why you didn't remember that is because…you perished in battle."_

"PERISHED?!" Shriek the girl, feeling a large pit of panic forming in her throat.

" _Yes."_ Lucario didn't want to finish the sentence but it must be said. _"You became trophied when the arm fell on you. We revived you when we were done with Rubrum."_

The Mii was distraught, feeling broken that her one fear had come true. The girl grabbed onto her shoulders as she cried into her knees. Lucario wrapped his arms around the girl, hugging her in a vain effort to calm her down. The group looked at the two in silence as the last living thing of Rubrum, leaked more fluids onto the cold hard floor.

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapters a bit short, i'm trying to manage everything.  
**

 **till next time.**


	24. Chapter 24: New Discoveries

**Chapter 24: New Discoveries**

 _After defeating Rubrum, the team went outside of the complex to find another troubling discovery. The ants that were controlled earlier were now laying unconsciously on the street, upon closer examination of the insects it appeared that were in a coma-like state, which was most likely caused by the severing of the connection from Rubrum._

 _If they were kept like this, they would die. R.O.B. came up with a solution; he would install an automatic program in the Ant's hive network to keep them function. They would still be drones without a thought of their own, but at least they will still be alive and no longer a threat to the world._

 _After making sure that the ants were up and running, the team went back in their ship and flew back to headquarters._

After the team was dismissed and making sure that Gunner was fine, Lucario went into the kitchen, he was making a cup of green herbal tea. Everything that happened today was exhausting, taking a toll on his physical, mental, and emotional faculties. He hoped this mug would calm him down a bit; he looked tiring out the window, gazing at the moon when he heard the door to the kitchen open. He turned around to see Snake standing in the doorway.

"There you are Lucario, I've been looking for you." The solider said as he went closer to the jackal. "What are you doing in the kitchen? It's not like you to snacking at this hour."

" _Oh hey Snake, I'm just…making something to calm my nerves, to take my mind off things."_ Replied the canine as he took another sip.

"Was it her?"

Lucario almost choked on the tea after hearing that, he gulped down his drink before responding. _"What?"_

"Are you upset that Gunner got knocked into her trophy state?" Snake answered in a firm but kind tone. "It was very shocking to see that happen to her, we hadn't an incident like that in a long time."

Lucario sighed before he put down the mug on the counter, turning towards Snake. _"I'm not upset because she's been trophied, all Smashers can be revived after all. I'm upset that I wasn't there to save her."_

"The promise you made in the sewer?"

" _Yes, Exactly."_ Lucario answered, taking another sip of the tea. _"She was so frightened, I thought I could calm her down if I promised I would protect her no matter what, I was determined to be her "shield" so to speak. But we all know how that turned out."_ Another sip. _"Put in my best efforts and yet it was still fruitless. I broke my promise by failing to save her. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a good hero at all."_

The Jackal was about to pick up his mug until the solider stopped him, putting a hand on his paw. "Now don't you dare say that about yourself. You're one of the most heroic people I've seen in my life. You time after time again, risk your safety, your being to protect those in need. You may have not been able to save Gunner, but she's alright. I've talked to her before she left. She doesn't blame or hate you for not being there for her. She understands that you tried your best. Gunner is a bit shaken form the ordeal, but she fine now. A good rest should recharge her batteries."

" _I'm grateful she's doing well, but that's not the reason I'm upset."_ Lamented the Pokémon _"I never thought of this before, but now I realized that this world is too dangerous for the common folk: Deadly hazards around every corner, blood thirsty beasts that would tear into your flesh without a second thought, and now terrorist running around, wrecking and sowing chaos within the land?! It's a miracle we didn't have a massacre on hands yet."_ Huffed the fighter. _"What do I do if I fail to save those I can't protect?"_

"You deal with it, and move on." Replied Snake.

Lucario looked at his friend in shock. _"Deal with it and move on?!"_

He nodded "Yes, deal with it and move on. With how big this world is, and how unpredictable the WOT can be, saving every creature in this land would be impossible. But you can't let this bring you down. Don't give up or push yourself to the breaking point. That will only throw you into an unending cycle of depression and misery; won't do you or the world any favors."

The jackal tilted his head to the side in curiosity as the solider continued to speak. "If you fail to save someone, you don't let it tear you apart. What you should do is grieve, learn from it, and continue your duty to help people. You may not be able to save everyone Lucario, it's a sad fact of life, but if you tried your hardest, did everything in your being to save someone. Then that's all that matters."

The blue canine looked at the floor with a sigh, staying silent for several seconds as he took a seat by the counter. _"I suppose…you have a point there."_

"That's not the only thing bothering you, is it?" Asked Snake, sitting next to him

" _Unfortunately, so." Another sip._

"What is?" Snake questioned inquisitively.

Lucario hesitated, he didn't want to tell him what was clawing at him, but has to say it to get it off his chest, to keep things short, he explained his problems with a single word. _"Rubrum."_

"You mean when you killed him?" Snake replied with a kind but concrete response.

A pang of cold was felt within the Aura master's body; the guilt forming in his gut made him shiver to his core. _"Yeah, I just killed him. Just like that. Felt so unreal."_

"I know." Snake said "The battle was pretty intense-"

" _That's not the point Snake!"_ Interrupted Lucario; letting his bottled up emotions out in the open. _"I killed someone,_ _ **without a second thought!**_ _!"_ The fighter emphasized with snapping his paws. He took a second or two to control himself _"Sorry."_

"No it's fine; you have nothing to apologize for." The solider answered, taking the cup out of the Lucario's paws. "I just wanted to know why you were so disturbed, why does killing make you so upset?"

The Pokémon took a deep breath, twiddling his claws together before he responded. _"Alright *inhale* I've told you about my personal life right? My memories that were copied from the other 'me'?"_

"Yes, we shared countless stories between each other." Answered Snake.

" _Then you should also know about my trainer, my longtime caretaker from the Pokémon Universe."_

"The artist from the Sinnoh region?" Answered the solider. "I believed you mentioned him a couple of times in our discussions. You don't talk about him much."

" _Well there's a reason for that, it's a very personal to me."_ The Lucario explained.

"If you don't want to talk about it-""

" _No, no, no I have to"_ The canine said. _"I usually don't talk about this with anyone, but, you're not 'anyone'. You're my right hand man. You've always been there for me when I needed you the most. You deserve to know about this."_

"Alright then, let it on me." Snake told the animal.

The jackal nodded before speaking. _"Like I stated before, I had a caretaker. Even though he spent a good deal of his life on becoming a Pokémon trainer, he settled down to become an artist, and became one of the most famous in the region. Eventually he found a wife to settle down and together they had a baby, a boy by the name of Andy. On their son's first birthday, they got a Riolu as a gift for their child."_

"I'm assuming that Riolu was you?" Asked Snake.

Lucario smiled. _"Yep, I was raised with that boy by his side, acting like his little guardian angel. Those days were the best time of my life."_

"If those were the best times of your life, then why are you so hesitant to talk about it?"

He smile began to falter _"Well things went downhill; when Andy turned 8 years old, the wife got in a car accident that ultimately took her life, and soon after, my trainer was diagnosed with cancer, it was terminal."_

"Oh."

" _Even when he was dying, he accepted it. Said that this was all Arceus's plan, and how things will get better in the end. The driving factor of his philosophy was that every life was precious, and how it shouldn't be wasted or snuffed out."_

"So that's why you were against killing." Replied Snake.

" _Yes, but the story doesn't end here."_ The canine's mouth twisted into a frown upon remembering the bitter parts of his past. _"When both of Andy's parents died, his uncle came over to take guardianship of him, but to be honest, I think the orphanage would have been better than staying with that bastard. He was an absolute monster; he would constantly yell and throw things around, and gave verbal abuse every single day. One night, he went crazier than usual. I woke up from the couch to find him beating Andy with his bare fists. I have a lot of restraint towards that freak but that was the last straw. I went to town on him, breaking his bones, and knocking his teeth out. I was close to killing him but I stopped myself, not because it was illegal, but because it was not what my master would have wanted, I didn't want to disgrace his memory. "_

"So what did you do after that?"

" _After I beat him to a pulp, I packed everything I could, took Andy and high-tailed right out of there. We managed to catch a ride to the Aloha region and started to live out in the wild. We found a village entirely inhabited by Pokémon and we settled down. My memory was pretty hazy, I don't remember much of what happened after that."_

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Lucario, I never knew that's what shaped you into the person you've become today."

" _And now I feel like I betrayed myself, let down my master. I crossed the line that no one should ever cross,_ _ **I've murdered someone**_ _, and I broke my code. I have become the very thing I despised, a monster."_

"You're not a monster Lucario!" Said Snake.

" _Yes I am, I murdered Rubrum!"_

"Correction. You didn't murder Rubrum, you just killed him."

" _That practically means the same thing!"_

"Wrong. They are two entirely different things. Killing means the act of ending the life of another creature, and murder is killing someone with wrongful or malicious intent."

" _Both of those definitions still involve ending someone's life!"_ Argued Lucario.

"Yes, but they involve different pretexts!" Countered Snake "Tell me, is killing an old man for his wallet the same as killing a terrorist holding someone hostage?"

Lucario was about to respond but found himself pausing at the question, he thought of it for several seconds before speaking with a realization. _"I suppose not, is it possible that the code I live by is wrong?"_

"There is nothing wrong with your code, Lucario. Just needs some expanding." Snake Answered as he handed him his mug back. "Back when I was on the field, I did my best to knockout or sneak past enemy soldiers, even though I was trained to kill, I did my best to avoid lethal combat. But there were times that subduing my foes were not an option, I've encountered plenty enemies that if left alive, would cause too much damage for the world to handle. So in the end, I had to do the hard thing and take them out. Killing should only be used as a last resort. It is a terrible thing do to, but it doesn't necessarily make you a bad person, killing someone for wicked or selfish reasons makes you a bad person. That's the fine line that separates killing from murder."

" _I see. It makes sense to me now."_ Lucario said gulping down the last of his drink. Snake was having a hard time reading his friends face, he didn't know what his friend was feeling right now. The solider was about to respond when the canine spoke again. _"So why were you looking for me again?"_

Snake's eyes widened slightly, now remembering to why he needed Lucario in the first place. "R.O.B. has found a clue that might give us information on FW, I came looking for you so we can review the evidence together."

" _Ah, got it. Alright let's get going, we got work to do."_ Lucario said as he put his cup onto a coaster. The two best friends then walked out of the kitchen, walking at a fast pace to reach their destination.

* * *

R.O.B., Fox, and Samus were working on one of the monitors when they heard the door opened, they all turned to see Snake and Lucario enter the room.

" _We're here."_ Declared the jackal, _"There was something you wanted to show us?"_

"[Ah yes, come closer you two, you're going to like what we found.]" Said R.O.B. as the solider and canine went closer.

"So what clues did you find about our mystery man, FW?" Asked Snake.

"We found a computer chip that had his name on it." Answered Samus.

" _Where did you find something like that?"_ Spoke Lucario.

"Mega Man had it. When we interview him, he remembered that Rubrum installed the little gizmo inside of him. He took out, and gave it to us."

" _Installed?!"_ Lucario said in shock. _"Rubrum installed his tech into the boy?"_

"Yep" Answered Fox, "This was the first step to his plan of world domination."

"What a bastard." Snake muttered to himself before asking "So what did you find on the chip?"

"[Well, we found this.]" R.O.B. inputted some commands on the keyboard and the screen changed into a login screen. There were two boxes to input passwords into. Above both of the boxes, was a riddle of some sort.

 **I was born from sparks and I breathe air into my body and exhale light into the world. I'm am constantly hunger and if I don't get any food, ill die. And the children I birth are made of ash,**

 **What am I?**

 _ **Input Password:**_ _ **_**_

 **I used to be free-flowing but now I'm rigid, anything that is trapped inside is stuck in time, waiting for a cold awakening, and I'm most commonly found in the arctic.**

 **What am I?**

 _ **Input Password:**_ _ **_**_

" _A riddle?"_ Questioned Lucario.

"Yeah, we were surprised when we saw this; we didn't want to do anything until you guys came here."

"Hm," Said Snake as he looked at the monitor. "This needs a password, right?"

"[That's what it says.]" Replied R.O.B.

"You know that message in binary that we translated a week ago, Fire and Ice? I think we should input that into the boxes."

"[Seems like a good idea to start]" R.O.B. said in agreement. "[Alright let me put it in.]" His claws went to work on the keyboard.

 **I was born from sparks and I breathe air into my body and exhale light into the world. I'm am constantly hunger and if I don't get any food, ill die. And the children I birth are made of ash,**

 **What am I?**

 _ **Input Password:**_ _ **Fire**_

 **I used to be free-flowing but now I'm rigid, anything that is trapped inside is stuck in time, waiting for a cold awakening, and I'm most commonly found in the arctic.**

 **What am I?**

 _ **Input Password:**_ _ **Ice**_

 **Passwords Accepted, Welcome Back FW!**

The screen changed to a black background, There were three square boxes present: A white box that was titled: Base, A blue box that was titled: Wii U, and an orange box that was titled: 3DS.

"Well this is new." Commented Fox.

"Hey, R.O.B." Said Samus. "Try clicking on one of the boxes"

"[Affirmative.]" Replied the robot as he clicked on the white square. Upon doing so a little pop-up appeared, it read.

 **{Attention! Access to this information is not available at this time. Click again when the trigger has been activated.}**

" _Trigger?!"_ Questioned Lucario. _"What trigger?"_

"Do you think it means trigger as in bomb?" Said Fox.

Snake shook his head. "I don't think that's likely, I think when it said 'trigger', it meant as some sort of direct order or event."

"But what could that be?" Asked Samus.

"I…don't know."

The group stayed awfully silent for a moment, the silence was broken when R.O.B spoke up again. "[I'll try to see if I could hack into the program, why don't you all go to bed. You deserve it.]"

The rest of the Smashers nodded and began to exit the room; Snake and Lucario were the last ones to leave when R.O.B. called out "[Oh, and uh Lucario.]" The both of them turned around to the robot.

"[Thank you for what you did today, I don't even want to imagine what would of happened if you didn't you your final smash. You too Snake, you did a fantastic job on the mission as well.]"

The both of the nodded silently as they exited the area, with them gone, the robotic Smasher went to work on the computer, seeing if he could hack into the system.

* * *

Gunner was slowly walking trough the hall, treading lightly due to her having low stamina. It's been quite the emotional roller coaster these past 5 hours, and all she wants is to go to bed.

The shooter approached her room and opened the door ever-so slowly. Inside, she could see Brawler sleeping on his bed whiles Swordfighter was resting on the floor.

The female Mii tip-toed into the darkened room, not wanting to awaken her teammates, she successfully sneaked inside, until she accidently bumped into the dresser, making the vase that was onto of it, fall down to the floor.

*CRASH!*

"What the hell!" Said Brawler; turning on a lamp to investigate. The fighter relaxed when he noticed the shooter.

"Oh, it's just you." The fist-fighter said in annoyance, "Gunner, why the hell did you wake me up? Further more, why did you arrive so late? Some of the Smashers were worried because of your absence."

Gunner cringed when she listened to his words, not wanting to disappoint her friends. "I'm so sorry Brawler, I didn't mean to. I was on mission with some of the fighters, it was pretty tough, but we manage to complete it."

"Ah, whatever." Replied Brawler. "Nothing you can do about it now, just try not to do it again."

"Don't worry; I'll try not to in the future." Gunner answered as she saw Swordfighter on the ground. "Why is he sleeping on the floor?"

"He wanted to stay up until you returned to our room; however, staying up late at night is not his forte and he promptly fallen asleep on the rug."

"Should we wake him up?"

"No, its best if we leave him be until tomorrow morning, it'll be better that way. Besides, I doubt you can wake him up, he's a heavy sleeper."

"Oh." Gunner said as she lowered her head, feeling somewhat sad. Brawler looked surprised seeing her like this, which drove him to ask "Man you look like s**t, what happened to you?"

Gunner, ignoring his language rose her head up, and responded to the question. "Something bad happened on the mission I was on, I'm still scared to talk about it."

The fist-fighter loosened up, he always thought Gunner was kind, but was easily frightened by the littlest things. Because of this line of thinking, he really didn't take her comments that seriously. "Come on Gunner, it can't be that bad-"

"I died." Gunner said flatly, slightly shivering upon remembering.

"What?!" The male Mii said in shock. "What do you mean you died?"

"I was on a mission to rescue another Newcomer, on the way we encountered ants who wanted to hunt us down, using their cyborg abilities to take us out!"

One of Brawler's eyebrows raised in the confusion. "Cyborg ants?"

"Yes, cyborg ants! They were forced to be that way because their king want to make to perfect, and thought he was helping them and-" Gunner stopped herself, not wanting to get off track. "Look the point is, that I got knocked into my trophy state when I was there. It was unbelievable."

"What happened when you were turned into a trophy?" Brawler asked in curiosity.

"It so unnerving, I remember something large falling on me, then the next I'm all fine and dandy." The shooter explained. "Lucario said that I became a statue, and also that uh…when a Smasher goes in this state, they are not conscious, like they're in a coma or something. Very scary to think that happened to me."

"But you were turned back to normal, right?"

"Yeah, but I still died!" Gunner retorted "How could this happened to me? Everything was going so well. This is just…I don't even know what to say" She said to herself.

"Gunner, look." Brawler spoke to the Mii "If you're worried about dying, then you're just kidding yourself. We are Smashers, we can't die. Don't you remember what Marth said? We are eternal. Death does not exist for people like us. You being revived just prove you're just worrying about nothing. Calm down."

"You don't get it." Gunner retorted. "I'm not upset because I turned into a statue; I'm upset that I was so vulnerable. You weren't there Brawler; the entire team had to fight just to stay afloat. It was a nightmare, an utter terrible nightmare. And I don't think I can deal with it anymore."

"So what are you going to do?" The male Mii replied as he folded his arms.

Gunner stayed silent for a moment, taking a deep breath as she gave her answer. "I'm going to quit. I'm going to stop with all the training and fighting, and stay here. Perhaps I can do some chores around the mansion to bide my time."

"What?!" Brawler said, it almost looked like he was offended by her statement. "So you're just going to give up and throw in the towel. Resorting to becoming a damn maid? Are you kidding, Gunner?!"

"I'm not joking, I'm quite serious." The Mii told her friend. "I never thought of it before but this line of work were in, it's too dangerous. Too many monsters and deadly obstacles around every corner, it's just too freighting! I'm not cut out for this, it'll be better for me if I just stay here. That way I won't be vulnerable as well as not to become a burden for the team."

"Gunner." The fist-fighter said softly, walking up to her as he put both of his hands on the shooter's shoulders. "That idea is retarded."

"Huh?" The female Mii said in surprise.

"You believe quitting will save you from the dangers of the world?" Brawler asked, when Gunner didn't respond, he continued. "It won't, this world was born from danger. Fighting here is practically a skill one needs to survive. You heard of Tabuu right, you think everything would have gone well if the Smashers had backed down? No, the world would have been long gone if that was the case. I also had some experience with this lesson of life."

"You mean the mission you went on?" Questioned the shooter.

"Yes." Answered the fist-fighter. "On that mission, I had to prevent a polluted dam from breaking apart. I literally had to punch through monsters and climb the damn thing to save the day. I had given up; there could have been a chance that the land would turn into a radioactive mess."

"I know the WOT would be in a much terrible place without the Smashers." Retorted the female Mii. "That's why I should get out of their business; because there is no way that I can match up with them. You know I'm not a good fighter."

"You're not a good fighter right now!" Brawler counter-argued, taking his hands of her, as he narrowed his eyebrows. "The fighters here were terrible at fighting when they first came to this world, but eventually they got better and improved themselves, and they became powerful bad-asses you see today. This is what we talked about before: not giving up, pushing your self, and grabbing life by the balls. You can definitely match them if you give it time. Don't put yourself down on a path of unfulfillment and deliberate weakness, when you can raise yourself up to new heights. Just give it a damn try. Okay? For me, and Swordfighter?" He asked in a kind but bitter tone.

Gunner was about to argue her point, but then she thought about. The Mii stayed silent for a couple of moments before saying. "Alright Brawler, I'll give it another shot." The shooter said to the fist-fighters relief. "But I'm taking a break; I need to collect myself before I can start again."

"That's fine, just don't take the coward's way out and rot away in a hiding place somewhere." Replied Brawler as he went back to bed, shutting up the light. "Night."

Gunner yawned, supposed it's about time she went to bed, but first she take care of something first. Once her eyes adapted to the darkness, she went to the wooden chest that was placed near the door. This chest was a place where the Mii's would put their personal stuff in, and they shared it between the three of them.

Inside the chest was: a spare sword, brass knuckles, a spare energy clip, and most importantly; a small crystal ball and a tiny red sphere, she lightly tossed the blue sphere that was in her pocket, wanting to preserve the treasure she gotten of that capsule, once it was inside, she went to her own bed and put the covers on her, slowly entering the dream world.

Inside the chest, the three balls were reacting to each other, glowing in unison as they got closer to each other. They then merged into together, forming into a much bigger ball. The left side of the ball was red and the right side of the ball was ball, and in the middle, a thick wavy line of white separated the two colors, the sphere had also grew in size, growing to the size of a baseball.

The artifact glowed for several seconds before the glow faded out. Lying still, waiting for the next person to touch it to reveal it's power.

* * *

 **We are almost to the end of act 1, i hope you guys are enjoying so far, for the next chapter, I'll be giving Mega-man a chapter of his own.  
**

 **Like always, if you want to message me about the story, or leave a nice comment, then PM or leave it in the reviews, i'm always looking for feed back.**

 **Till next time.**


	25. Chapter 25: Games

**Chapter 25: Games**

 **Hey guys, I haven't started on the 2** **nd** **act of this story yet, this chapter here will be an interlude chapter, consider it a short chapter that connects act 1 and act 2 together, anyway enjoy.**

* * *

 _3 weeks and 4 days since the Newcoming._

It's been a while since Villager was first introduced in the World of trophies, it's safe to say that he has adapted to this realms customs and conditions. Though to be partial, he is getting bored by staying on the mansion's premises, after the third rescue mission, it's been advised that the Newcomers stay at the palace until further notice. Which disappointed Villager.

He's been trying to entertain himself by reading, playing chess with the other Smashers, and even taking long walks inside the mansion, but those got pretty stale after awhile too. It wasn't till Villager game across the gaming parlor, a room inside the palace which contains a variety of video games, playing on consoles like: N64, Gamecube, Wii, PS1, Arcade machines, and much more. He's spent a lot of his time inside that area. It was in his opinion, the best place in the palace.

Right now, the Newcomer was playing Tetris on the NES, only inches away from beating his high score. "Come on, I almost there!" The child said as he sat on the rug.

He arranged a couple of blocks into the correct empty spaces, which cleared the entire screen in seconds; giving him the new high score.

"I did it!"

Villager jumped ecstatically from the floor, doing a silly dance upon his victory. "Hmm, still have time before I take my nap, wonder what else I can play?" He went through some of the shelves, and took a look through the selection.

"Now let's see here. Castlevania? Nah, not a fan of vampires. Mario? I've already played this. Custer's Revenge? I think Zelda said to me I shouldn't play this game, I wonder why. Ohhh, what's this?" The boy pulled out a cartridge from the line, looking at the title, he could see the words: Mega Man, written on the very top.

"This looks promising." Commented Villager as he put the cartridge into the console, just when he was about to turn the NES on, he heard the door open. The child turned around to see a boy dressed in a blue jumpsuit, a blue belt, and a blue helmet. He casually walked into the room, silently observing the sights whiles keeping his head slightly down.

Villager remembered this guy, this was the Newcomer they rescued on the last mission, he appeared very sad when he first came here, not wanting to socialize, and keeping to himself. Which was terrible, but not unexpected, after all, Villager could relate. He went through the same thing.

The boy dressed in blue kept looking for a few seconds until he locked eyes with Villager, the two stayed quiet as they observed each other, not sure on how to respond.

It was then Villager got a sense of motivation, he had met most if not all of the people in the mansion, and this Newcoming will bring more new Smashers to the world, giving him more opportunity to socialize.

Excited for the prospect of making a new friend, he said, "Why hello, there!"

"Uh…Hi." The boy said in a cautious by friendly tone.

"I've heard you're the newest arrival to the mansion."

"I guess that's a way of putting it." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I hope you're having a swell time here!" Villager said as he extended his hand for a handshake. "My name is Villager, What's yours?"

He returned the handshake, feeling a bit confused. "You can call me Rock for now."

"Well nice to meet you Rock!." He told the blue boy as he stopped shaking his hand.

"Hey," Rock asked Villager. "This may sound sudden, but can I ask a question?"

"Sure! Ask away!"

"What is the place? The room we're in I mean." Rock said as he gestured around to the shelves.

"Oh! We're in the gaming parlor!"

"Gaming parlor?" Questioned Rock as he tilted the head to the side.

"Yep! It's basically the one room in the mansion where they store all the video games. There a wide selection from: Platform, shooters, horror, fighting, racing, puzzle, and so much more!" Explained Villager as he threw his hands in the air.

The blue boy rubbed his chin in thought. "Video games huh? Hmmm."

"Wait." Villager stopped what he was doing and look at him with a straight face. "Do you not know what video games are?"

"I have a faint, basic understanding of what it is." Answered Rock. "I've been to the arcade a couple of time and saw children playing portable devices in their hand, but I'm not knowledgeable on what…"Video games" are exactly. But I'm kind of curious to see how it works."

"Well that's great." Smiled Villager. "I was just about to play a video game, right now. Do you want to sit down and try it together?"

The blue boy thought about it for a moment before nodding delightfully. "I'm always eager to try new things, why not?"

"Alright!" Villager said ecstatically. "Let's get this 8-bit party started!"

The two Newcomers sat on the floor together whiles the young mayor turned on the NES. When the game started, the android opened his eyes wide open. Upon the black background on the screen, he saw two large words that were instantly recognizable to him.

 **Mega Man.**

"What the heck?!" Shouted the Blue boy. "Why is my name on here?!"

"What? I thought Rock was your name?" Villager asked, as he gripped the controller.

"Rock is just a short nickname, Mega Man is my actually name. What's it doing on the screen?"

"Oh, I get it." Replied the mayor who snapped his fingers. "This must be your game, that would explain a lot actually." He said to himself.

"My game?"

"Oh that's right, you're new here, you wouldn't have known about this thing yet." Villager than rubber his temple with on of his hands. "How do I put this without sounding too complex. Hmmm…got it!"

The brown haired boy than turned to face the robot; putting the controller on the console. "Okay, you know how sometimes movies and TV shows can be based on real life events."

"Yes, I'm aware that is a thing."

"Well, what if I told you that every single video game inside this room is based on real events that happened in other universes."

"WHAT?!" Mega Man hollered on the top of his mechanical lungs. "That's insane, how do you guys manage to make something like that?"

"We didn't make it, the mansion did." Answered Villager.

"The mansion did?"

"Yeah apparently the mansion is some what supernatural." Explained the mayor. "I asked Meta Knight about it. He said that long time ago, Master Hand put a spell on this room. This spell would show him major stories and events that happened in other worlds, giving him more knowledge about the Omniverse as a whole."

"Hold up." The android raised his arm slightly. "Two questions: Why did this "Master Hand" used his magic on this room, why not do it at his own base? And why did put the knowledge into a video game? Wouldn't putting it into a book be better?"

"You be surprised to know that that this used to be his mansion."

"Really?" Mega Man asked with surprise. "I thought the Smash Brothers built this from scratch."

"I believed that too, but Lucario told me once that Master Hand built this place during the Melee era, he wanted to create a castle of his own essentially, but he abandoned it after he was defeated a second time. It wasn't after the Subspace emissary that the Smashers discovered the palace, a decided to make it their headquarters."

"And how does Lucario know that Master Hand created the mansion?"

"They found his journal." Explained Villager. "Gave us a lot of insight on what happened during the 64 and Melee era, including proof that he built the palace.

"Okay, but what about the video games?" Mega Man asked.

"According to the journal, Master Hand thought that learning the information from books would take too long. So he transferred the stories to video games, because it would be faster and more interesting."

"One more question, why is the spell still working? Shouldn't it have been broken when he was out of the picture?"

"Apparently it was one of those automatic spells, he didn't need to be present for the magic to work. So every now and again, new video games would appear in this room, adding more variety to the collection."

Mega Man was about to tell Villager that his explanation was impossible, but he stopped. Remembering all of the crazy things that happened in the last 4 days, he decided to shut his mouth.

"So anyway, shall we start playing?" Villager said as he pointed to the TV.

"Definitely." Mega Man said in absolute confidence. "If what you're saying is true, than I have too see this for myself."

"Alright then! Let's play." Villager replied as he pressed " **Start** " on the NES controller.

* * *

"So let me say this again. You came from a place where you're the only human in a town full of animals?" Asked Mega Man.

"Yep, I'm also the mayor too!"

"Wow that sounds pretty cool."

"Not as cool as your universe." Commented Villager "I mean you're a robot fighting against other robots, trying to save the day from a mad scientist! You're like a superhero!"

"I guess you're right if you put it that way." Chuckled Mega Man.

The two boys were playing the game nonstop, sharing stories as they defeated every robot master. Right now they were on the final level, on a mission to take down the evil Dr. Wiley once and for all!

When the boss fight actually started, Villager asked his new-found friend for help. "Mega! He's in a flying mech of some kind, how do I defeat him."

"The first time I fought Wiley, I had to use a variety of my weapons to defeat him. Do that and you should beat him."

Villager followed his advice; he used the powers from the previous bosses on Wiley, as well as dodging his attacks. It took awhile, but Villager managed to win, with the evil doctor getting out of the mech, and surrendering on his knees. The two boys gave each other a high-five as they celebrated their victory.

"You beat the game Villager!" Said Mega Man.

"Correction. We beat the game." Emphasized the mayor. "I wouldn't be able to get through the game without your tips and tricks."

"Ha, I guess that's true." The android replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"So what did you do after you defeated Wiley?"

"After Dr. Wiley was arrested for his crimes, and when the peace was restored. I went back to the lab. Dr. Light and Roll was there to congratulate me for all my hard work and-" Mega Man Stopped himself, when he realized what he was saying, he stayed awfully quiet. "We threw a party."

The young mayor, understanding that his friend was sulking, put away the controller and turned to face the blue hero. "You miss them, huh?"

"Yes." Answered Mega Man. "Light and Roll were my caretakers; they made me into the person I am today. Both figuratively and literally." He took a breath before continuing. "The thought of losing them never occurred to me, because I they were always back home to talk and help me when I needed it the most, but know that I'm permanently separate from them, I think about them every single day. The only thing assuring is that my original self is taking care of them, protecting the world from evil. Even though I'm glad about that prospect, I'm forever burdened of not seeing them again. It's like they're forever vanished from my life, like they never existed at all."

"I know how you feel." Admitted Villager. "When I first came to this place, I was devastated to learn that I could never see my friends again. I became…unstable. I thought my life was going to be terrible forever, but the here showed me it didn't have to be that way. They showed me love and compassion, and helped me up when I was down to the very bottom."

"They did?" Questioned Rock.

"Yeah. They even through me a birthday party." He pointed to a golden statue of a raccoon that was positioned in one of the corners of the room. "See that over there? That was one of the presents I got, it's made of solid gold!"

"That's amazing!"

"It sure is." Villager said before continuing his speech. "Also, just because your loved ones are not with you physically doesn't mean they're gone forever. You still have memories of Dr. Light and Roll right?"

"Yes, I have countless memories of them in my data bank."

"Well hold onto to them tight, and use it as a guide to motivate you, use it as a beacon to show you the path to the future, and never forget who you truly are. That's the lesson I learned from being here."

Mega Man head posture stood straight, feeling much confident that he did before. "Okay Villager, I will."

"And one more thing." Interrupted the mayor "This problem of "Not being able to see your friends and family again" may not last forever."

"Huh?" Mega Man was very confused to what he was trying to convey. "What to you mean?"

"You know the princess, Zelda?"

"I met her a couple of time, Why?"

"Well, Zelda told me that she's been investigating the magic that inhabits this world for a long time, and more recently, she might have found a way to bring stuff back from our own worlds."

"Bring them back?!" Mega Man was flabbergasted. "Like take stuff back from other universes that have been closed off to us?"

"More like recreating stuff from other worlds, it's like a similar process to how we were created." Explained Villager. "We might not be able to cross to other realms, but at least we can replicate matter from individual universes. So as long as it comes from an existing place in the Omniverse, we can theoretically create objects, buildings, and even people from other worlds. Which means you can possibly meet your family again."

"That's amazing!" Exclaimed the excited android. "We should try that right now!"

The smile on Villager's face had deformed to a frown. "Actually, we haven't been able to accomplish that yet. Everything I told you now was a theory, developed by Zelda. She's still trying to see if it's still possible to do something like that."

"Oh." Mega Man replied, his spirits slightly dampened.

"Don't fret Rock. The good news is she's getting closer to discovering to how the WOT actually works, and she's made a lot of progress! Not to mention we have all the time in the world to learn the process. I'm almost certain that eventually, we can bring our loved ones back!"

That statement actually gave some comfort back to the robot, even if it's a long shot. The chance of him meeting Light and Roll again made him more hopeful. "Yeah, just got to hope right?"

"Yep! Just cross your fingers and wish for the best."

The door to the gaming parlor opened, Villager and Mega Man turned around to see a familiar fitness trainer standing in the doorway.

"Oh hi Wii Fit!" The mayor told the mannequin-like woman. "What brings you here to the gaming room?"

"Hell Villager, I left my yoga mat somewhere and I need to find it, I think I might have left it in this room. Have you seen it?" Asked the female Newcomer.

"Is it that over there?" Asked Mega Man, pointing to a blue mat near the TV.

"Yep, that's it!" Said Wii Fit as she walked over and picked it up. "Thanks for finding it for me." The trainer then saw the NES turned on and the controller that was grasped in Villager's hand. "So you boys were playing some video games?"

"Yes we were." Answered the android. "We were playing a retro game, it was really hard to play through but we managed to beat it!"

"Well I'm glad you kid are having some fun!" Wii Fit Trainer said as she was walking towards the door with mat between her right arm. "I'm going to do some more exercises, hope you guys have fun with the NES!"

Right then a there, an idea formed in Villager's head. "Wait, Wii Fit!"

She turned around. "Yes, Villager?"

"Why don't you sit down and play with us?" Suggested the mayor. "It'll be fun!"

Wii Fit felt unsure about that offer. "I would to, but I still have some exercise that I need to perform."

"But you've been exercising all day." Complained the brown-haired boy. "Not to mention you're already fit, why not take a break and we'll play some of the classics?"

"Yes, it'll be nice to relax once in a while." Said Mega Man.

The yoga trainer thought about it for several moments before conceding defeat. "Alright, I suppose I can play for a little bit."

"Awesome!" Declared the mayor. "Let's continue this gaming party!"

Mega Man got up from the floor and went to the Atari 2600 Shelf. "I'll get another game for us to play." He examined the selection before pulling out a cartridge that was titled: Custard's Revenge. "How about this?"

The female trainer saw what the android had in his hand, and took action. "Oh, No, no, no, you can not play this game!" Interrupted Wii Fit as she puts the cartridge where it belongs.

"Why not?" Asked Mega Man, tilting his head.

"It's too inappropriate and vulgar."

"It can't be that bad." Commented Villager.

Wii Fit was about to tell the boys that they can't play this game, but a part of her knew that doing so will only fuel the curiosity in them. So instead, she was going to come up with a noble lie.

"Boys, the reason you don't want to play this game is because…it's…uh…lame."

"Why's it lame exactly?" Asked the Mega Man.

"It's lame, because it's one of those cheap educational games."

Villager's head perked up "Educational Game?"

"Yeah." Replied Wii Fit. "The game's story takes place in the wild west. There an outlaw who's an ice cream cone, who's named Custard. Custard wants to replace the world's healthy food into junk food, forcing the world to eat unhealthy. It's up to a sheriff, who's a piece of broccoli, to save to day, and turn the junk food back into fruits and vegetables. It's basically a game that teaches the importance of eating healthy."

The mayor looked disappointed "Ugh, broccoli? No thanks!"

"Yeah that game sounds boring." Said Mega Man. "We should play another game."

"Okay, I pick it." Responded the trainer, walking over the SUPER NES shelf and pulled out a game with the words: Street Fighter II."How about this one?"

"That looks promising." Agreed Villager.

"Yeah I'm up for it." Said Mega Man

"Great! Let's start this one up." Wii Fit went over to the SUPER NES and put the cartridge in, and turned on the console.

"Alright, you ready Mega Man? I'm gonna kick your but!"

"I like to see you try!"

"Settle down boys, let's keep it peaceful in here. And keep in mind; I'm only playing for a little bit."

 _The three Newcomers found the game to be very enjoyable; they all took turns on the controllers, playing a variety of character. Having a blast with the game well into the night._

 **[End of Act 1]**

* * *

 **Well guys, Here's the end of the first act, I hoped you enjoy it. However, I need time to figure out how to do the second act. I need some time to construct it. And with college starting soon for me (I have summer school and fall coming up) I will have to take a hiatus. This will take up to 2, 3, or 4 months. I will not do anything earlier or later during that time frame. So you don't have to worry about it taking forever.**

 **Also, if you have any neat ideas or criticism you want to send me, then go ahead.**

 **Till next time.**


	26. Chapter 26: Outrage

**Hey guys, What's up? I managed to have some free time on my hand to create a new chapter. Now i'm not ready to create chapters on a regular basis yet.**

 **I'd just release this chapter for a treat, like the small appetizer before the main course.**

 **I hope you like it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Outrage**

 _It was pretty nice today._

 _That's what Swordfighter thought to himself as he stared at the big blue sky, riding his jet ski on the ocean. Even though he's seen it plenty of times, he never get tired of it._

" _Man, I'm so glad you brought me out here today." The woman behind him said, grasping onto his waist. "It's what I needed after working my pain-in-the-ass job overtime!"_

" _Ha" He chuckled "I wanted to give you a reward. You're the hardest worker I know. You deserve this, hon."_

" _Ah, how sweet of you." Sword's girlfriend replied, giving him a peck on the cheek._

 _The two were passing by the stadium that was near the cliff, standing tall above the water. He took a look to see the same concrete stairs surrounding most of the stage, crowds of hundreds cheering as two swordsman were battling on a target-shaped platform, doing their best to knock their opponent in the water._

" _Looks like the entire place is packed." Remarked the girl._

" _Well, it is the most popular sport on the island, it be natural for the stadium to be filled." Explained Swordfighter. "After all, I talk from experience."_

" _With you being the best fencer in Wuhu, I expected nothing less." Cooed his girlfriend, rubbing his shoulders._

 _During the massage, the boyfriend saw that one of the fighters was cornering his opponent near the edge of the circle, the opposing fighter did all he could to stay on, but was propel off the stage by a hard whack from a glowing sword. "Ooh, that's gotta smart."_

" _Yeah, that was absolutely savage." His lover joked. "Just get a load of the screams of terror coming from that guy."_

 _He indulged, rotating his ear in the direction of the falling man, but felt very concerned to what he heard. The man was screaming in hysteria, as if his soul was being torn to shreds. It was like this person was in actual danger._

 _When the player final hit the water, a loud crash could be heard from all direction, after which was accompanied by a long continuous car horn._

 _The unexpected noise immediately alarmed Swordfighter. "What the hell was that?!" He asked his girlfriend as he turned around._

 _His partner was not there, she literally disappeared out of thin air, but that wasn't the only thing that was shocking: The Sky had gone dark; stormy thunderclouds and heavy rain covered the atmosphere, accompanied with the water that had become a sickly black, looking more akin to crude oil than anything else._

 _The Jet Ski turned off by its own volition, its metal rusting at an exceeding rate as it began to sink._

" _WHAT!? OH GOD!" Shouted Swordfighter, he was trying to keep himself afloat in the water, but he was no match for the power of the tide. "I WANT TO LIVE! ANYONE! HELP! I-bliug" Was all he said before the seawater silenced his cry._

 _In his panic, he attempted to swim upwards was pulled further to the bottom by something grabbing his leg. Swordfighter looked down to see a multitude of shadowy hands grasping onto his feet, now advancing on his waist._

 _Swordfighter screamed underwater, the last air he'll ever breathe escaping his mouth._

 _With his fate sealed, his vision began to fade. The last thing Swordfighter saw before everything went dark, was a pair of red beady eyes that snarled at him. Growling with rows of broken teeth._

* * *

"Yah!" Yelped Swordfighter, springing his back off the mattress from his terrible nightmare.

"Are you okay Sword!" Asked Gunner who was standing near the bed. "It looked like you were in trouble."

"Oh, uh…" Swordfighter was rubbing his temples, feeling groggy he didn't get much sleep. "Yeah. I had a bad dream but it's over now."

"A bad dream?"

"The worst one I had in a while." Admitted the sword wielder. "It felt so real…and familiar."

"It's just a dream, Sword. It's not going to kill you." Replied Brawler, putting on his brown gloves and red shirt. "If you feel so concerned over a damn nightmare, you can share it with the rest of us on the way to training. I heard Marth and Mewtwo is actually going to teach us how to attack properly for once."

"Attacking?" Sword thought out loud to himself before remembering. "Oh that's right. They told us about it a week in advance."

Sword finally got out of bed, letting out a loud yawn from his mouth.

"Are you sure you want to come with us Sword? You look awfully tired. You could take the day off the rest and regain some stamina." Responded the female Mii.

"As comfortable as that sounds, I'm afraid I have to decline." Answered Sword. "If I want to become a better Smasher, than I have to practice as much as I can. Even during times when it's not convenient, like exactly now for instance."

"Then let's get going." Remarked Brawler. "The sooner we get there, the better."

"Wait! Hold up." Sword said raising a hand. "I still need time to prepare for training, I'm not ready yet."

"Do you want us to wait for you?" Questioned the shooter.

"It wouldn't be fair if you guys stayed behind because of me. Why don't you guys go on without me, I'll catch up when I can."

The two Mii's nodded, leaving the room in an orderly fashion. When they left, Swordfighter took off his pajamas and adorned his fighter's outfit. Dusting off the extra lint that stayed behind from the tumble dryer.

After he gathered his blade and brushed his teeth, he went into the hallway and headed for the kitchen, hoping to get a quick bite to eat before heading out to the gym.

* * *

The blonde Mii was chewing on the last bite of his bagel, swallowing it with extreme delight.

' _I'm very excited for the new attacks were going to learn today, we haven't had the opportunity to improve our offense techniques in quite a while, hopefully the skills Marth teaches us will be useful in the future.'_

Sword approached the gym door and opened it; sounds of a heated argument going down immediately reached his ear drums

"Is this some sort of joke?!"

"Sadly no, I'm not pulling your leg Brawler. I'm serious."

"That's bulls**t. You can't do this, it's not fair to the rest of us."

Brawler was shouting at Marth, being very upset. Whiles Marth did his best to calm the fighter, with Gunner, Mega Man, Mewtwo, Wii Fit, and Villager watching the fight unfold.

"What in the hell is going on here?!" Exclaimed Swordfighter, as all eyes began to turn to him.

"Ahhhh! Sword! There you are, I've wondered if you ever going to show up!" The fist-fighter said in a bitter tone. "Get a load of what this guy is saying! It's insane!"

"What's he going on about?" Asked the blond Mii.

The prince sighed, not wanting to explain the topic at hand. "I know that some of you are not going to like this, but I regret to inform you that all training sessions have been canceled to further notice, as well as Newcomers participating in missions outside of the mansion."

Swordfighter was shocked upon hearing the announcement, staying silent for a couple seconds before responding. "What?!"

"There was an issue going around the palace, concerning the safety newcomers. We thought it was not wise to put so much strain on you at this stage of your development. So the Veterans took a vote on temporary banning the sessions and mission participation. It was a unanimous majority."

"You do not have the right to do that!" Declared Brawler.

"Brawler, calm dow-" Said Gunner before being interrupted.

"No, I'm not going to be chill, this is a serious problem, and I'm not going to calm down till it's fixed!"

"Brawler, I know how upset you are-" Appealed Marth.

"Oh, I bet you do." Sarcastically retorted Brawler.

"-but this is for the best, all of you are not ready for such offensive power, you might hurt yourself or others. When the WOT becomes more stable, we'll teach you new attacks."

""WOT Becomes more stable"?! Are you kidding me! This realm with never be stable'! It'll always be chaotic and unpredictable! If we did everything your way, we'll never grow! We need to learn this moves. NOW!"

"I don't like where this is going. This debate is getting pretty bad." Villager whispered to Mega Man.

"And I think it's going to get a lot worse." The android replied as he pointed towards Mewtwo.

The psychic Pokémon stood by Marth's side, using his telepathy to communicate to Brawler.

" _Brawler. We've been here much longer than you, we know how the laws of the WOT works, and we also know the joys and dangers that cover this land. We're not doing this to be cruel, we're trying to help you, that's all."_

"Well I don't want your help." Brawler spat with disgust, wiping the sweat of his forehead. "It was you wasn't it?"

" _I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to convey."_

"You started this entire ban didn't you?" Accused Brawler. "You seem like the type of guy who leads, instead of follows. I bet you pulled the heartstrings of the people here for you to get your way! I-"

" _No."_

"No?"

" _No. I did not started the whole vote on the ban, I was against it as a matter of fact. I voted nay."_

"Well, if you didn't start the vote, than who did?"

" _That would be me."_ Answered a different telepathic voice. The group rotated to the door to see Lucario, he had passing by the gym when he heard the discussion, feeling compelled to get involved.

"Huh, so it was you all along." The fist-fighter said in a more relaxed tone, getting closer to the jackal. "What's with the sudden change of mind on training? I thought you wanted us to become better Smashers?"

The aura Pokémon took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before satisfying the Mii's question.

" _After what happened last mission, witnessing the casualties that took place, I believe that it was too risky and dangerous to train the Newcomers at this current moment in time. So I brought my case to the Veterans and we took a vote, it passed, and we implemented the ban."_

Despite Lucario's best efforts, it wasn't effective in relaxing Brawler. "So let me get this straight, you decided to postponed all the necessary training we need to survive in this world, because someone got hurt? Are you joking?! It feels like your trying to piss me off on purpose!"

"Guys, come on. Don't-" Spoke Swordfighter.

"No." Interrupted Wii Fit, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let them."

" _It's not like that Brawler!"_ Retorted the canine _"I didn't "ban" Newcomer participation just because Gunner went into her trophy state. It was because I had a sudden realization! You guys are new to this world, you have powerful tools at your disposal, but you don't have the proper skills or knowledge necessary to properly fight against the elements of the WOT. It was irresponsible of us to bring you guys on these missions when you're still in your training shoes, you could have gotten seriously hurt! It was a miracle it didn't happen sooner, also, I may have started the discussion but this isn't entirely my doing. It was a group vote."_

"Getting hurt is part of process, Lucario!" Argued the fist-fighter. "You can't ride a bike without getting a couple scratches. Forcing us not to train will make us deliberately vulnerable. We need to train to improve ourselves!"

" _I agree with you on that, but we can't do it at this time. With the Newcoming happening, and the with a potential madman terrorist on the loose, it'll be too much of a risk to put all of this strain on the Newcomers. When all of this is over, we'll resume training, I promise."_

"We are not children, damn it, we can handle ourselves."

"Hold up, I thought you said earlier that you hated training?" Asked Mega Man. "Why now all of a sudden you're outrage we can't do it right now."

"That is none of your consider kid!" Brawler said in a harsh tone.

" _Brawler, enough."_ Mewtwo stated in a firm tone.

The Mii dressed in red, turned around, giving the Pokémon as scornful look. "Enough? How can you stand idle whiles this idiocy takes place?! You said it yourself that you disagreed with the vote, why aren't you standing up against it?!"

The psychic shook his head in displeasure. _"Whiles I heavily disagree with the vote, I still stand by it. This was a group decision, and the majority is first priority. If any of us force these decisions without proper procedure or vetting, it would devolve into a power struggle."_

"The majority is not always right!"

" _Possibly, but it's the rule of this place; we have to stand by it, even if it includes decisions that we don't like."_ Mewtwo faced the rest of the Newcomers _"Since training has been postponed, you are allowed to whatever you want in this mission, do whatever you like. You're all dismissed!"_

As the group began to move towards the door, Brawler's eye began to twitch involuntary, feeling insulted from the way the Smasher's are running the mansion. In his outrage, he forcefully grabbed Mewtwo's arm. "You listen to me! You can't-"

Brawler was pushed to the ground by an unseen force, and levitated slightly above the ground. Some of the crowd gasped at this show of man-handling by Mewtwo, whose furious eyes had glowed blue under the tremendous psychic energy that's coursing through his mind.

" _NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME!"_ The Pokémon's voice was so cold, it could freeze the hottest of temperatures.

" _Mewtwo, What you doing?!"_ Lucario shouted.

" _Emphasizing my point."_ Stated Mewtwo, before looking deep into Brawler's eyes. _"I don't give a damn if you're upset over the ban, I couldn't care less. We're doing this to help you all, you spiteful brat. And this how you treat us after all this time, after we took you and took care of you? How immature. If this keeps up, or if you lay another hand on me again, I'll make sure that you'll be permanently banned from training. Do I make myself clear?"_

Brawler stayed silent, grinding his teeth as he clenched his hands tightly.

" _Hmph, that's what I thought."_ He slowly placed the Mii back on the ground, to which he collapsed onto his buttocks.

Mewtwo turned around to a stunned crowd, not sure on what to say. _"Like I said, do whatever you want, I've got to finish my duties around the mansion, dismissed!"_ He declared before teleporting elsewhere.

It took a couple of moments, but finally the group began to move again, exiting through the gym door, leaving the Brawler, Gunner, and Swordfighter all by themselves.

"Are you okay Brawler?" Gunner asked as she and Sword approached him caution.

The fist-fighter was muttering to himself, shivering and tearing up under the intense anger running through his body. "That ungodly…pink f***ing, d**k-tailed, Mother******** son of a BITCH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Brawler stormed out of the room, kicking the door open as he disappeared into the hallway.

"That escalated quickly." Commented Sword.

"This is not good, we have to go after him." Said Gunner.

"I agree, Brawler unpredictable when he's angry, come on! Let's get a move on!"

The two Mii's ran after their friend, hoping to calm the beast before anything happens.

* * *

Gunner and Sword was following Brawler until he went inside their bed room, looking inside, the two could see the fist-fighter pacing back and forth, being visibly frustrated.

"They can't do this to us!" Exclaimed Brawler. "Not only is it stupid, they are making us weak on purpose. How could they be so brain dead!?"

Gunner walked in, trying her best to look confident. "Perhaps it won't be too bad Brawler, since we can't train anymore, we'll have more free time to ourselves, wouldn't that be great?"

He turned around giving the shooter a dead-panned expression. "Having free time won't matter if this place falls, imagine what would happen if all the Veterans fell in battle? All of us will be poorly prepared to take on the world; it's ridiculous!"

"Brawler, it's only temporary, it's not like the bans going to continue forever."

"We need to learn the techniques now Gunner." Argued the fist-fighter "With everything that's happening now, it could save us from dying out there. Are you two honestly fine with this rule?!"

The two stood silent as they tried to form their own answers, Gunner was first. "Well, I guess, I mean…I'm not exactly ready for this type of stuff-"

"You're never ready." Remarked Brawler, doing a defeated face palm before turning to Sword. "How about you?! What do you think?"

"I…" Sword swallowed his spit, feeling uncomfortable at the situation. "…don't really like how they are taking care of this. I was so eager to learn how to learn the art of smashing, but now that we can't, I feel kind of upset."

"Do you now?" Asked the fist-fighter, raising an eyebrow. Maybe he and Sword had more in common than they thought.

"But I don't want to disappoint them or make them angry as well, I'm pretty conflicted, I could try to appeal to their better nature in order to reinstate training again."

He spoke to soon.

Brawler snarled out loud as he began to pace again. "Well I'm very disappointed in them. They been here way longer than us, and went through many adversaries and challenges, they should know what the world is really like! But instead they treat us like cowardly children?! Unbelievable!" Said the black-haired Mii as he accidently kicked the bedroom's treasure chest on its side, spilling its contents.

"Ah dammit, more crap I have to put up with." He stated as he tried to clean up.

"Well maybe we should look on the bright side." Commented Sword. "I mean, we can always-"

"Sword, just shut up." Said the fist-fighter. "You're making things worse." The Mii was almost done putting everything in the chest, when he saw a new item that wasn't there before: a sphere that was a dark blue at on side, and an orange-red at the other.

"What the hell is this?" He picked up the object, carefully expecting it. The other two Mii's came close to the fist-fighter to get a better look.

"Where did that came from?" Asked Gunner.

"Don't know, I found it, apparently it was in the chest." Responded Brawler.

"Hm, you know, that ball looks familiar, it's almost…Wait! Hold up!" Sword began to search the chest, frantically shuffling the items inside. "They're not here!"

"What's not here?" Said the fist-fighter.

"The gems!" Explained the blond as he closed the chest. "They're missing!"

"You mean the three crystal balls we found on our adventures?" Questioned Gunner.

"Yeah! They're gone!"

"How could they go missing?!" Spoke the shooter.

"I think a better question is what happened to them." Corrected Brawler "Did someone steal our treasure?"

"I don't think it ever left the room." Said Swordfighter, causing the other two Mii's to become confused.

"If it didn't left the room, then where is it now?" Asked the fist-fighter.

"Your hand." Pointed the Sword wielder. "I think it's in your hand!"

"What?! Sputtered Gunner, taking the sphere into her own hands. "This thing is a result of what happened to our gems?"

"It has to be, there is no other explanation!" Stated Sword. That sphere is the size of the crystal ball that Villager gave to me, and it has the colors of your guy's gems. Our crystals must have combined when we weren't looking!

"But why would it do such a thing?" Said the shooter.

"I…I don't know." Sword rubbed the back of his head, not sure on what's taking place here.

Just then the sphere glowed, creating a white hue that sparkled in Gunner's hand.

"Woah!"

"What's wrong Sword?!"

"Yeah, what's with the freak out? You're acting like a creep."

"The ball! It's glowing!" Announced the blond.

"Glowing?" Said Gunner as she looked at the object in her hand. "I don't know what you're talking about, it looks perfectly fine to me."

"Wait, you guys don't see it?"

"No, what the hell are you talking about?" Asked Brawler.

' _The glow, am I only one that can see it?'_ Thought Sword _'Maybe it's doing that for a reason, perhaps it's calling for me?'_

Sword went to Gunner, cautiously touching the object with his index finger, which caused an immediate reaction. Holograms made of white light began to fill the room: Starfish and moss began to cover the walls, bubbles began to float in the air, and sand and coral began to sprout from the floor.

"What's happening?!" Exclaimed Gunner.

"I don't know, but I don't think we should stick around to find out!" Spoke the fist-fighter "Let's get out of here!" The fighter tried to exit the room, but stopped in their tracks when they saw a swarm of piranha, sharks, and pairs of tentacles guarding the door. Brawler took a step forward but the fish growled and displayed their teeth at him, causing him to go back, and allowing the fish to become non-hostile.

"This is insane, we need to get help." Gunner took a deep breath before shouting "HELLO! ANYONE THERE? WE NEED SOME HELP!" However her efforts were fruitless however, in addition to creating holographs, the crystal sphere also created a barrier, preventing sound from going in or out.

"What did you do?!" Brawler accused Sword.

"ME?!"

"This happened when you touched the thing! What did you do?"

"I don't know! I just touched it, that's all!"

"Where are these things?" Questioned Gunner, wanting to change the subject.

Sword look around, writing down the details in his mind. "They look like holograms, more specifically of seaweed, fish, sand…basically stuff you typically find in the ocean."

"Why would the sphere create a holographic environment of an ocean?" Asked Brawler.

"No idea, but what I really want to know is why that thing is there!" Exclaimed Gunner as she pointed to the middle of the bed room. There was a large text box that floated in the air.

 **Want To Play?**

 **Yes? No?**

"A game? What game is it talking about?" Asked Sword. "Will it play a game if I press "yes"?"

"Should we press yes then?" Questioned Gunner, folding her hands nervously.

Brawler looked dumbfounded, shocked to hear her suggest an idea like that. "Uh…No! We shouldn't!"

"You think something bad will happen if we pick yes or no?" Spoke the sword wielder.

"Oh no, I think it'll give us presents and candy, of course something bad will happen if we press it!" Brawler declared in a sarcastic tone. "That crystal abomination created those freaks to guard the door." Gesturing to the piranha and sharks. "It could lead us into a death trap if we accept, so we can't press yes! no matter-"

The box selected "Yes." Apparently, it had an option of being voice operated. The words in the holographic square changed, presenting a different set of guidelines.

 **Welcome Player!**

 **Game Selected: Deep Diving**

 **The scuba diver wants to find a treasure that is hidden deep below the sea, help the guy by guiding him through the dark abyss, avoiding dangerous obstacles and ferocious sea monsters that would kill him in an instant. If you get the bottom and open the chest, you'll be rewarded.**

 **To prevent unnessacry interruptions, the surrounding area have been turned sound-proof. So there's no need to worry about any kind of obstruction.**

 **Pick the controller on the floor when you're ready!**

The trio looked downwards, and just like the text said, there was indeed a video game controller on the floor. It was similar to the controllers they had in the game room, but instead it had an ocean-themed design: Seaweed was wrapped around the grips, the buttons were made from various sea shells, and the frame was made from a very dense yellowish grainy substance, most likely sand.

"It wants us to play?" Asked Gunner. "Is this like a video game or something?"

"Possibly, but we won't know for sure until we press start." Explained Swordfighter.

"Wait, you're not actually thinking of picking that controller are you?" Questioned Brawler. "That's dangerous Sword! You don't know what it would do! For all we know it could be a trap!"

He made sense in that regard, there is was they can predict what would happen if they would play, or what the reward would be, the safest thing to do would be to wait it out, and hope help would come.

But something in Swordfighter told him he had to pick of the controller, play the entire game. It was like he was compelled by some unseen force. That was when he made his decision. "I'll play."

Gunner looked confused whiles Brawler was shocked. "Sword! Are you-"

"I have a feeling Brawler." Stated the blonde "I have a feeling that we have to play this game, it's the only way we can escape! The room has been sound-proofed, and the door is blocked, this has to happen guys, I have a gut feeling."

"And where did the gut feeling come from?" Spoke the shooter.

The sword wielder took a self-reflection within himself, he stayed silent for a moment before saying. "I don't know, it's a feeling, like instinct. You know?"

The fist-fighter sighed before shaking his head. "Fine, play the damn thing! But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Sword nodded before facing the device that was one the floor, he picked it up ever so carefully, when he touched it, a sense of duty and revitalization ran through his core, once the anticipation passed, he pressed the button.

The screen changed to a 32-bit scenery, with a fishing boat sailing in a treacherous sea. On top of the boat was a diver putting on his gear, when he was prepared, he jumped in the water.

Nervousness racked through the trio's brains as the scuba diver swam to the deep dark trenches below.

* * *

" _So you're saying this just appeared"_ Lucario was in the lab, looking at the computer, seeing that the white box was now apparently opened.

"Yep, happened a few minutes ago." Explained Samus, moving he mouse to click on the window. "Check it out."

The white box expanded, displaying a question that puzzled everyone in the room.

 **Solve all three problems, and you'll gain all the pieces of the puzzle, the key of finding out who I'm really am.**

 **Question 1: What is a star's favorite snack: _**

"What is this all about?" Snake was rubbing his chin, think on what the words really meant.

"We think it's a riddle of some kind, but other than that, Sammy and I are stumped to what its purpose is." Answered Fox.

"It said three a questions." Spoke Mario. "Where is the other two?"

"Probably in the other text boxes." Samus Said.

" _They're still not opened yet?"_ Questioned the blue jackal.

"Still closed, the white on is the only one that's opened."

"Should we a guess the question?" The plumber suggested.

"I don't think we should, we should get R.O.B. down here to see if he can hack into it." Replied Snake. Immediately after, his phone began to ring, he looked at the caller I.D. "Speak of the devil." He commented before putting it on speaker.

"Yes, R.O.B."

" _[We got another one!]"_

"Another one, you mean another Newcomer?" Spoke the bounty hunter.

" _[Yes, the main computer had detected one right now!]"_

"Okay I guess we can solve the problem later." The solider said to himself before telling the robot "Alright R.O.B., just give us the location, and we'll get right on it."

" _[About that, I discovered something shocking about the location of the Newcomer.]"_

" _Shocking? Oh, please don't tell me that the fighter is in Tox Falls!"_ Grunted an frustrated blue canine.

" _[No! He or she is not in that radioactive graveyard, in fact they're not in the region, or on the planet for that matter.]"_

"Not on the planet?!" Shouted a surprised Snake. "Are you trying to tell me to that Newbie is in Outer Space?!"

" _Um…that's exactly what I'm trying to say."_

"Pichu pi chu pi chu cu!" (Wait! Wouldn't the Smasher die from the lack of air in space!) Asked Pichu, who happened to overhear the conversation as he reading his favorite kid's book.

"That would be the case in other world, but its different here in the WOT." The vulpine explained to the yellow mouse. "You can actually breathe fine in Outer Space in this realm, so there is no worry for suffocation."

" _Though there is still the problem of actually getting to the Newcomer."_ Butted in Lucario. _"How far is the Newcomer from the planet?"_

" _[Too far.]"_ R.O.B. deadpanned. _"I doubt you can rescue them quick enough with a simple space ship."_

"If we a can't do it with a rocket, then how are we gonna get there!" Commented Mario.

" _[There is better way to get to the deep recesses of space, it's unconventional, but it should work.]"_

"We'll take it regardless, what do you have in mind." Snake stated without no doubt of his mind.

" _[I'll explain later, meet me in the armory and I'll tell you what I have in mind.]"_

" _We'll be there in a second R.O.B., over and out."_ The aura master said before ending the call. _"Ready for an adventure, old friend?"_

"Always prepared for the occasion, and don't call me old!" Retorted Snake. "You know how I feel about that incident."

"Pic Pic huh u pi? Pichu!" (An adventure to space? I can't wait!) Exclaimed Pichu as he ran out the door.

"I suppose we should follow him, we'll have to plan out our trip if we're going to the outer heavens." Said Snake

" _Indeed, it's been a long time since I have been in space, this will be interesting."_ Replied Lucario

"Well Mario, Fox, and I will try to see if we can crack the code, we'll be waiting your return when you get back." Spoke the bounty hunter.

"Sure thing Samus, See you later." Replied Snake as he and his blue companion chased after the little yellow mouse.


	27. Chapter 27: Shark Attack

**Chapter 27: Shark Attack**

Swordfighter's character kept swimming downwards, never stopping, determined to reach his goal. The Newcomer himself guiding him to their destiny. He was focused whiles his two companions watched him play.

"How far to you think the level is?" Asked Gunner.

"Don't know till we hit the bottom." Replied Swordfighter. "But judging by the way how the water's colors is slowly getting darker, I say we're getting closer."

"I don't care how long it takes, just make sure the diver stays at one piece." Stated Brawler.

"Trust me, it won't happen on my watch. With me in control, this should roll out smoothly." Spoke the blonde.

Just then, three small shadows from the background, which slowly got larger by the second. As to imply something is coming towards the diver himself.

"What is that?!" The shooter was pointing at the black blobs on the screen, feeling a wave of worry traveling through her body.

"They look like fish." Said Sword.

"The figures are too big to be simple fish." Explained Brawler. "I'm dreading that they're a monster of some sort."

"Oh crap! Here they come!" Exclaimed the sword wielder as the shadows came into view. The black figures quickly faded from black to color. The three "fish" were apparently three blood-thirsty sharks, with bodies the size of cars and with teeth as sharp as knives. They circled around the diver, forming a continuous rotating ring, preventing the man from going further.

"Sharks?!" Spoke Gunner. "That is…Wait!" She turned around to the door, taking note of the sharks guarding the door. "Hey! The sharks on the screen look similar to the one's blocking our exit!"

"Really now?" Said Brawler, taking a quick glance. "That's too much of a coincidence for it to be random."

"Yeah, I wonder if-YAH! SWORD WATCH OUT!" Gunner pointed out, but it was too late. One of the great whites split from the circle to take a bite of the diver. The pixelated character flashed in and out a couple of times, before letting out a short yelp. After the attack, the shark went back to ring.

"It bit me!" Exclaimed Sword.

"This is a boss fight!" Stated the fist-fighter. "Look! There are health bars at the top."

Like Brawler said, there were two bars at the top of the screen. At the left side, there was a red bar with the word: **"Fierce"** written at the bottom. At the right side, there was a white bar with a small piece of it missing. The word: **"Health"** was visible under the white box.

The same shark that attacked the diver moments ago went on the offensive again. Hoping to get another taste. "Oh god! Here comes another one! Do something Sword." Gunner pleaded to her friend.

Swordfighter gripped the controller with focus. With quick flash of the joystick, he'd managed to avoid the toothed-beast; but only by a hair. _'If the sharks have a health bar, then that means they can be damaged! I wonder if this would work.'_ The blonde pressed the buttons on the controller, commanding the swimming to take out his harpoon gun, and fire at his attacker's head.

The harpoon soared through the water at a brisk pace, piercing the animal in the skull. The shark snarled as it tried to shake the piece of metal off of it. At this moment, Sword looked up at the boss's health, and realized it had shortened a little bit.

"You injured it!" Gunner said excitedly. "Good job! Sword!"

"Don't celebrate yet!" Chided Brawler. "The sharks are still alive." He pointed to the shark who had successfully gotten rid of the harpoon piercing its flesh. The fish growled as it swam to bite once more.

The blonde Mii was more prepared this time, he dodged the attack as the diver stabbed the animal several times. The injured shark was at its last leg, but none the less, it drove the last of its strength to kill the swimmer. However, it foolishly tried to bite once more, Sword's character maneuvered under the creature's stomach, and shot a metal spear at the predator's heart.

The Great White let out a death cry as its body flipped upside down, which then slowly floated above the fight, disappearing off screen.

"I defeated one!" Sword mentally did a fist-pump in his own mind. "Now just two more to go!"

The ring had gotten faster, doing more revolutions around the diver than previously before, and just like before: another shark separated from the ring and got real close to the swimmer.

"He's right up to my face!" Sword spoke with worry; swallowing his saliva.

"Hurry! Attack it!" The shooter told the sword wielder.

He obeyed and attempted to slash it, but the shark dodge the blade, biting the diver at its torso, taking off some health.

"Ugh! It got me!"

"It dodged your swipe?!" Questioned Gunner.

"Yeah it did! How am I going to defeat this monster if I can't attack it?"

"If I had to guess, you'll probably have to wait for an opening." Suggested the fist-fighter. "If it tries to attack, dodge it and try to hurt it. Perhaps that will work."

Sword nodded, focusing intently on the screen. After several seconds the shark winded up its tail to slam into the character. The swimmer dodged, counteracting with a stab to the snout.

The shark yelped as it maintained its distance close to pixelated man it did two tail swipes this time, moving much faster than expected. The Mii strained to keep up with the pattern but he did succeed in avoiding the fin. Now that he had his opening, Sword commanded the man to swipe his weapon at the monster's face.

With the fish on the last of its health. The animal immediately went on the offensive. Whipping his tail around 5 times at a row before finishing off with a humongous bite. The blonde gamer nearly got hit, he did fine on the fin attacks, but was caught off guard when the predator tried to crush him with its teeth. Thankfully, sword luckily evaded in time, delivering a fatal stab to the fish's neck

The Great White didn't stand a chance, it rolled its eyes as the carcass floated off screen. With Sword now defeating two enemies, he felt very confident.

"Amazing! The health bar is almost to zero! Now there is just one more to go!" Gunner said with relief.

"Yeah, it's great, but don't let your guard down." Spoke the fist-fighter. "Following game logic, this last shark without a doubt will be the most hardest to take out. Be careful Sword."

"I'll keep that in mind." The sword wielder replied to Brawler, not taking his eyes off the game.

The last shark stopped its revolution and disappeared out of sight.

"Huh? It just left!"

"Maybe it decided to leave us alone?" Suggested Gunner.

"I highly doubt that." Responded the black-haired Mii.

The shark swam at light-speed towards the diver, as it did, time began to slow on the screen; (Probably a "slow-mo" mechanic.) At that moment, a pop-up became visible on holographic square, it said:

 **Press the X button to attack!**

Sword unfortunately, pressed the wrong button. Time began to speed up as the shark rammed into the character. It huffed liked it was laughing as it vanished off screen again.

"Was that a quick-time event?" Asked the Gamer.

"Yep, and you failed it." Answered Brawler "Stop sucking, and get good!"

The blonde gave a scowl to his friend, after which he returned his attention to the game. The animal was at it with its ramming technique. The same pop-up appeared, and Sword pressed the X button in a heartbeat.

The swimmer readied the harpoon gun and fired at the fish's nose.

It was a direct hit.

The enemy hollered as it swam to the right side of the screen, getting out of view. "It's mostly likely going to ram you again, keep your guard!" Demanded Brawler.

Predictably, the shark swam from other side, reaching the diver within a nanosecond. Prompting a subconscious twitch of the finger on the X button. The character pulled out his knife and sliced the shark on its midriff.

Screeching in pain, the Great White swam away to the top screen, getting out of the view of the camera.

"It went upwards?" Spoke a confused Gunner.

"Why did it go up? Did it retreat or something?" Asked Swordfighter.

"Have you played a video game at all?! The battle ain't over until the enemy is dead. You gotta-OH WAIT! THERE!" Lectured Brawler before he interrupted himself. The shark rammed from above, it appeared intimidating as it slowed down under the effects of the time slowing. Instinctively, Sword pressed the command button and ordered the scuba diver to fire a harpoon at the beast.

The group was surprised when the predator dodged the projectile; it achieved a barrel roll as the shark scooped up the man in its mouth. The pixelated diver attempted to pull his torso from the jaws of the Great White as it repeatedly chomped on him.

"Yah! It's eating me!"

"This can't be happening!"

"This asshole is almost dead, you can't do this to us game!"

As the three panicked, a screen of text popped up on the square, sword read it quickly, absorbing the information that was displayed on hand.

 **Tap all the buttons to win! HURRY!**

With the threat of death hanging over his character, he mashed to controller's buttons at lightning speed, sweat dripped from his forehead as he bit his lip in anticipation.

The diver pulled out his knife and stabbed the creature multiple times in the face. The shark released the man under the intense pain it was feeling. To finish off the monster once and for all, the character pulled out his gun and shot a harpoon right between the Great White's eyes.

The boss died; blood seeped from its wounds as it sank to the darkness of the sea below. The words: **BOSS DEFEATED** covered half of the screen, with the enemy's empty health bar blinking several times before dissapearing completely.

"You defeated the sharks Sword! Good job!" Cheered Gunner.

"Fine job you did there Sword, that's one headache we don't have to deal with anymore."

The trio heard buzzing behind them, the Mii's turned around to see the holographic sharks by the door, twitching sporadically before fading out of existence.

"The sharks! They disappeared!" Exclaimed the shooter.

"They vanished when we destroyed the boss." Observed the fist-fighter. "Now all that remains are the piranha and the tentacles."

"Does that mean we have to defeat two more bosses so we can win the game." Asked the sword wielder. "So we can leave the bedroom and warn the others?"

"I guess." Answered Brawler. "Seems like a good strategy to take."

"Hey guys, we can continue!" Spoke Gunner, gesturing to the screen that had a pop up of a red arrow pointing down. "Should we go for it?"

"Might as well, there nothing else we can do at this point." Replied Sword.

"You do that." Commented the black-haired Mii. "I'll search the room to see if there's another way we can escape this room. Let me know if anything else happens in the game."

The gamer nodded as he focused his attention back onto the holographic square, pulling the joystick down to command the diver to resume his journey to the bottom of the sea.

* * *

 **Hey Guys, it's me. sorry i havn't been posting in a while, but life has gotten very bust. The good thing is i manage to make some chapters under the amount of stress i am right now. I wanted to release a chapter now because i'll be going to canada next week, and most likely wouldn't be able to continue on this fanfic till i get back.  
**

 **The haitus/break is still going on, but don't worry, i'll end shortly. Perhapes sometimes next month.**

 **I'll do my best to make sure this story is the best it could ever be.**

 **Till next time.**


	28. Chapter 28: Exploring the Cosmos

**Chapter 28: Exploring the Cosmos**

After R.O.B. told the Smashers what he had in mind, Snake, Lucario, Pichu, Zero Suit, Diddy Kong, and Pit wenton their Smash boat, a yacht fitted with built-in water cannons, and set sailed for a lighthouse far away from the coast.

"You believe what R.O.B. says, that this would be the quickest shortcut?" Asked Snake.

" _He's one of the smartest Smashers in the mansion; always on target; never wrong in his calculations."_ Reasoned Lucario, who steered the ship to their destination. _"I believe him to the fullest extent."_

"But does he know where the Newcomer is located?" Pit questioned whiles looking out of a window.

" _He doesn't know exactly where the Newcomer is located, but he has a solid idea of where to look."_

"That doesn't sound reassuring, especially coming from someone like R.O.B." Remarked Samus as she reloaded her gun.

" _Even the greatest men on earth have their limits, Zero Suit. Let's just be glad he managed to formulate a plan for us to find the Smasher."_ Said Lucario, rotating the steering wheel very slightly. _"If you're worrying about being lost, don't worry. We'll be in contact with R.O.B. the entire time on our mission thanks to the new receiver that's been downloaded in Snake's phone."_

Pichu stopped his activity of pulling the fuzz out of a nearby pillow and looked towards the group.

"Pichu? Pic chu hu?" (Reciever? What are you talking about?)

"Weren't you paying attention during the debriefing?" The solider told the yellow mouse.

"No." Samus answered with a sigh "He was too busy playing with a discarded tooth pick he found on the ground, pretending he was a pirate."

"Ugh, of course he did." The legendary Solid Snake moaned to himself. "Since you missed it Pichu, I'll gladly explain it to you. You know that project R.O.B. worked on for the past 6 months?"

"Pichi pic hu pic?" (You mean the radio thingy?) Pichu replied whiles tilting his head.

"Yes Pichu, the radio thingy. R.O.B.'s project was supposed to be a pair of tiny receivers that allow communication from within any location in physical space. There's one located in the mansion's command room, and the other is inside my phone. He told me he completed the device earlier today." Explained Snake.

"Ohh ah ack oh oh?" (When did he tell you that?) Said Diddy.

"Just before I exited the room, you guys already left when he explained it to me."

"Yeah, about that. How did he manage to figure it out?" Questioned the angel.

"He assimilated some of Zelda's teleportation magic into the gizmos. This allowed the signals to teleport from both receivers at the same time. Technology's amazing isn't it?" Joked the solider.

" _Land Ho!"_ Shouted the jackal. _"Lunis Lighthouse is in our sight! Get ready everyone."_

The ship parked near the beach, the group tossed the anchor overboard before they jumped of the deck, landing on the hat sand. The Smashers put on their jetpacks as the six of them walked calmly to the main area of the island.

The island the group was currently treading on, was called Lunis Island. A small patch of land set far out of sea. This place was named after the lighthouse that was built upon it, the only structure on the land. It shined brightly as the search light pointed up to the sky, staying put in its place

Why is this building so unique you may ask? Well here's why. If anything touches the lighthouse house's light bulb, they will be transported to nearest object the ray of light is touching, which in this case, would be a simple lonely moon floating still on the edge of the galaxy. This was the shortcut the robot was talking about. The only possible way they'll reach the Newcomer in time. The fighters went up the grueling staircase to reach the top, when the six opened the door, they could see the light bulb glowing in the center of the room. Their trump card to saving the day.

Pit walked up closely to the light bulb before speaking to the group. "Can you remind me again what we were supposed to do on this mission?"

" _R.O.B stated in the briefing, that we have to touch the bulb for us to teleport into space; then we use the jetpacks on our backs to navigate the vacuum of space to find the Newcomer."_ Answered Lucario. _"Snake, is the searchlight in the correct position?"_

"Certainly is!" Replied Snake as he used the lighthouse's telescope that was placed near the balcony, through the eyepiece, he could clearly see that the light was touching the surface of the moon.

Diddy was adjusting his hat as the Smashers talked. "Ohhh ahh ugh okk ahh okk ahh ahh ugh?" (Then if we want to come back, we just go back to the light right?)

" _Correct, when we touch the spotlight, we should be transported back here at the lighthouse."_

"That sounds tricky, but at least it isn't impossible like reading a book." Pit Commented.

The fighters stayed awfully silent at Pit's comments, trying to wrap their brains around to what he just said.

"Reading?! Pit, are you telling me you don't know how to read!" Pressed Snake.

"Uh…Yes?" The angel answered with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"And why didn't you tell us this before, wait, better yet, why haven't you been trained to read!" Samus eyes narrowed at the preteen with an annoyed expression.

"Because it was too hard and I gave up?" Pit answered sheepishly

Snake face palmed, an intense headache flowing through his temples. "Unbelievable."

" _This is not important; we can give the angel an education when we get back to headquarters."_ Stated the jackal. _"We can't stall anymore; we have to go to space right now."_

"Well, alright then."The solider replied, sliding his hand off his face. "Let's have everyone touch the lightbulb one at a time, that way it would-"

"Pichu Pic Pichu!" (Space, here I come!) The yellow mouse shouted as he leaped onto the blub, being transported to the moon.

"Oh no! We have to go after him!" Zero Suit declared. She, the monkey, and the angel had touched the warm glass of the device and were teleported as well.

Snake let out a sigh of defeat. "I'm going to need a long smoke break after this." The Pokémon touched his right shoulder before laying a hand on the bulb, allowing them to vanish out of thin air.

Within seconds, the solider and the canine found themselves in a different place, with the rest of their teammates approaching to greet them. The area the trophies found themselves in was out of this world (Literally.)

The ground was white, craters could be found everywhere on the land, with each one varying in size; up above, the sky was pitch black, bright dots and flying rocks littered the background, creating an interesting view to see. Next to the rescuers, was a pillar of light stretch far then the eye can see, this was their one way back to the planet.

"Wow! So this is what space looks like. Cool!" Pit elbowed the blonde. "Don't you think this is awesome, Zero Suit?"

"I guess, I'm just really interested to how our planet looks like from this distance" Zero said, pointing to the sphere that was mixed with blue and green. Floating way out in the distance

"Pichu? Pic huh u pic pichu?" (Huh? You don't think space is amazing) Pichu asked whiles gazing at the big blue world.

"When you travel through the cosmos constantly, you kind of get used to it."

" _Now that all we're off the planet, we should contact R.O.B., Snake would you do the honors?"_ Spoke the jackal.

"I'm already on it." Snake was pressing numbers into his phone-pressing the "Enter" key when he was finished. The device rang for what seemed to be an awfully long time. The solider thought a mistake had been made before a voice ran through the speaker.

" _[Hello! Can anyone read me? If you can, please respond!]"_

"We can hear you loud and clear friend." Responded Snake.

" _[Oh thank heavens! I thought something went wrong.]"_ R.O.B. became more relaxed knowing that his friends were safe. _"Have you completed your objective of entering space?"_

Pit leaned closer to the phone ecstatically. "It's definitely completed! We reached the moon a couple minutes ago!"

" _[That's great Pit. Now all we have to do is find the Newcomer, and bring them home!]"_

Diddy Kong felt a little bit concerned at the prospect. "Ohh ah oh ack ok? ook ah ugh ook ah." (But where do we start? Space is a big place.)

" _[I'm glad you asked that, because now that you're actually near the pin-point, I'm getting a much stronger reading on the computer.]"_ Explained the robot. _"[According to the computer, the Newcomer should be relatively up above, being slightly north of your location. Do you see anything North that looks like a spot to search?]"_

The Smashers observed the sky to find anything of worth; Snake took the initiative and took his binoculars to search the sky more effectively. His eyes stopped on an unidentified object in the distance, it was hard to describe its appearance other than its spiral-shaped design, but whatever it was, it's big, and it's white. "I think I found something."

" _You did? What did you find?"_ Asked Lucario.

"Yeah, what is it Snake?" Said Samus.

"Up there in the sky." The solider pointed to the floating object above. "It's far away so I don't know exactly what it is, but I think that would be a good place to search; it's high in the sky, it's North from here, and it looks significant. I feel it in my gut that's the right place."

"Well if Snake feels like we should go there, then I'm all for it!" Spoke Pit, feeling more confident now that Snake was leading the charge.

" _[Ok then, you your jetpacks to reach this "object", and remember to be careful, you can't not afford to lower your guard down on situations like these, especially with the recent developments that's been happening.]"_

"We'll be fine R.O.B., this isn't our first radio." Replied Samus.

" _[Alright, just let me know if anything changes, over and out!]"_ The phone said before cutting off. Leaving the fighters all by themselves.

"You heard the man, start the rockets and get to our destination. The quicker, the better." Snake told the group, to which they nodded.

The pressed the button on each of their jetpack, the engines took a few seconds to warm up before they were ready to launched, and launched they did.

The six trophies soared through space, forming a near perfect flying formation as they propelled themselves to the strange spiral object.

* * *

It seemed like forever, but the group finally reached the unidentified object, they landed on a nearby platform as they deactivated their jet packs.

"Woah!" Exclaimed Pit. "What is this place, it looks so weird!"

The structure they were standing on appeared be technical in nature, the appearance of the layout looking very unordinary. The spiral object had several marked sections that really different from one another. Such as a grassy hill, an icy fountain, a library, and carpeted floor that lead directly to the kitchen.

Not to mention the area was completely deserted.

What was really eye catching, was a glowing sphere that levitated in the heart of this spiral machine. The glowing sphere glowed very dimly as it was held in place by two red spikes. To what purpose this mechanism is used for was beyond the Smashers.

"Ooh ah hook ook ook ahh oo oh?" (Do you recognize this spaceship Samus?) Diddy questioned the blonde.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you ask?"

"Oh hook aah hah ook hee ooh aah ohh akkk ohh." (Since you encounter other alien races in your past, I figured there was a chance you might recognize this place.)

"Oh." The woman relaxed her brow. "Sorry to disappoint fellas, but I'm not familiar with this type of spaceship, I don't even think this thing would even come from my world. It seems too…"

"Extravagant and absurd?" Chimed in Snake.

"Yeah, something along those lines."

" _Perhaps R.O.B. may know something about this, his race was technologically advanced after all; they could have had a hand in this. Snake, may I see the phone please?"_ The solider handed the canine the device, he turned on the phone and dialed the number.

" _R.O.B., we landed on the unidentified object."_

" _[That's good Lucario, where one step closer in completing our mission.]"_ He took a second to organize the map's data before talking again. _"[So what does it look like exactly? The object I mean?]"_

" _It looks…"_ Lucario was forming the words in his mind to respond properly. _"It looks strange to say the least."_

" _[Describe "Strange".]"_

" _Well for starters there's no protective framework to prevent foreign object from reaching the interior, it looks to be a design feature rather than damage. Also, there are sections in this area that have no place to be on a spaceship."_

"Pichu hu uh pic chu pic pic chu!" (Such as igloos, water foundations, grass, and a pink swirly top!) Commented Pichu.

" _[What?! That's illogical indeed. Hmmm. Can you take a couple of pictures so I can see for myself?]"_

" _Can do, I'll call you back in a second."_ Lucario turned off the call and turned the device into its photo mode. Taking pictures all around.

"You think R.O.B's people created this place?" Asked the angel. "I mean it does seem like something they would make."

"I doubt it, this ship doesn't fit their style; they wouldn't make something so flashy." Responded Snake.

" _Well who knows, perhaps they had a change of taste, we'll never know unless we send these photos to R.O.B., he was the chief, if his race made this, he would know."_ After taking the necessary photos, the mutt forwarded it to the robot, which then he immediately called H.Q.

It took a minute or two, but the call eventually connected.

" _[Yep, my digital mind is boggled, I can't believe something like this even exists, it looks so flashy.]"_

Snake gave Lucario the I-told-you-so-look, whiles the blue Pokémon rolled his eyes. _"So this ship is not familiar to you then? Are you sure your people didn't create or even had a hand at this."_

" _[Not a chance, if they, I would have known about it. This machinery is so alien to me.]"_

"Pichu!" (Literally!) Peeped Pichu before being shushed by Samus.

" _[But I suppose we can focus on the nature of the ship later, do you see anybody that could possibly be a Newcomer?]"_ Asked R.O.B.

"No. In fact, I don't see anything living on this vessel." Answered the American Solider.

" _[Try looking harder then, If the signal's coming from the ship, then the Newcomer has to be on there. We can't give up.]"_

" _Actually, I could make a scan of the area with my Aura Vision. We'll have better chance of finding the Smasher if we do that way."_ Suggested the Aura Master.

"Good Idea Lu! I swear, your aura powers are becoming more useful each passing day!" Joked Pit.

The jackal smiled. _"Why do you think I go on these missions regularly? Now stand back behind me, I need to take a scan."_ The rest of the fighters obeyed the mutt without question. He closed his eyes, allowing his aura sensors doing the work. _"….!"_

"What's wrong?! You find something?" Zero Suit said in a concerned tone.

" _Not something, but rather someone."_ The Pokemon pointed to the structures over to the right, more specifically the one that had a stone book plastered over the door way. " _I sense life coming from that building, that's where the Newcomer is located no doubt. It looks like a library to me."_

" _[Okay then, since you all are handing yourselves nicely, I'll sign off and keep watch on the monitors, let me know if anything changes, signing off!]"_ R.O.B. announced as he canceled the call.

"That's a cue." Said Snake. "Let's go over to the library and handle the situation, you all know what to do." The group then walked towards the building, hoping to end this mission safely and quickly.

Meanwhile, a certain trio of Mii's encountered another problem within their game.

* * *

 **Hey guys, it's me: Crystal Brick. I'm almost done with my break, but i still got work to do. I just wanted to release this chapter into celebration of the Smash direct NINTENDO released recently. I still can't believe what i saw. I was so excited.  
**

 **Anyway here's the chapter, i hope you like it.**

 **Till next time.**


	29. Chapter 29: Frenzy

**Chapter 29: Frenzy**

"Ugh, god! How long till we reach the bottom? It feels like we've been swimming for forever!" Complained Brawler as he tried to nap on the bed.

The diver has been continuous swimming downwards, dodging floating trash and avoiding large predators to survive until he reached his destiny. "Actually Brawler." Chimed in Gunner, looking at the clock. "It's been about an hour and half since Swordfighter played the game."

"It was rhetorical question, smart ass." Spat the fist-fighter as he closed his eyes.

"You know what Brawler; that was really rude of you."

"I don't care."

"Guys, stop your whining! I think I entered a new area." Swordfighter interrupted, gripping his controller with pristine concentration. The character had entered a naval minefield, hundreds if not thousands of rusty bombs littered the area; becoming very visible in the pitch blackness of the background.

Gunner scratched her head. "Why are there explosives at the bottom of the ocean?"

"Well, I don't know. Why are we being held captive against our will until we play this damn game? Who cares?" Sarcastically said Brawler. "Don't look too deep into it. (Pun not-intended.) Let's just reach our goal and call it a day. I'm starting to get annoyed as hell."

"And you wonder why no like you." Swordfighter muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Inquired the black-haired Mii.

"Nothing, let's go."

The diver had only went down several feet when the sounds of multiple high-pitched shrieking startled the trio. "More monsters?" Asked Sword.

"Maybe that isn't the case, it could just be a cheap way of the game scaring us." Rationalized Gunner.

Behind the diver, many small glowing white eyes were begin to materialize. The light began to reveal a large school of piranha salivating at the chance to fill their bellies. "Ah…dammit." Spoke Brawler upon realizing the situation they were in.

The school immediately swarmed the character and did a series of biting and swimming, the player's health bar was rapidly decreasing. "They're doing a number on you!" Shouted the shooter.

"Hold on, I'm going to try knifing them." Sword ordered the diver to pull out his blade to swipe at the carnivores; whiles the attack did kill a good deal of the fish, it wasn't enough to kill them all.

"You can't fight them like that when their swarming you, you have to get away!" Said Brawler.

"But-"

"Just do it Sword! You can kill them when you're at a safe distance!" Brawler yelled with panic at the top of his lungs.

With a quick movement of his hand, he commanded the diver to swim away, in response, the school of predators chased after the man. Hunting like no tomorrow.

"Let's try to evade them!" Said Gunner.

"No, we have to kill them!"

"Kill them? Sword tried that and only got a couple, not to mention he lost a lot of health in doing so."

"It's a boss, Gunner! You're supposed to kill it. That's how these things normally work!"

"Well this isn't a normal video game."

"Everyone! Shut up!" Shouted the blonde. "I'll decide what we do!" He looked at the screen intensely, formulating a plan in his mind. _'Those piranha did a lot of damage to me, I don't think I'll be able to defeat them with my current weapons, I should book it.'_

"We're going to swim away from them, hopefully they'll give up their chase." Stated the sword wielder.

"That's a great idea!" Replied Gunner.

"This idea is borderline retarded." The fist-fighter spat frustratingly. "I would've never even consider something so naive."

"Deal with it Brawler, I'm the one holding the controller."

Following the shooter's suggestions, he commanded the diver to swim as fast and far as he could from the pursuing piranha, navigating through the underwater minefield to do so.

After 15 minutes however, it became apparent that the current plan wasn't working, the swimmer wasn't getting any closer to the bottom, it was like the character was in a never-ending loop, passing by the same area over and over again. To make matters worse, the piranha were getting closer, slowly but surely, they will reach the man to gobble up the human's flesh.

"Okay, I think it's safe to say this is not working out." Gunner admitted, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"Gee, ya think!" The black-haired Mii responded harshly. "Can we now kill them? Pretty please with sugar on top!" He answered in a mocking tone.

Sword turned his neck to look at his teammates. "But how? My knife wasn't really effective against them, I doubt my spear gun will be effective either. I-"

"OH, GOD SWORD! WATCH OUT!" Gunner screamed as she pointed to the screen. The Mii dressed in blue looked back at the game to see what she was freaking on about, his heart skipped a beat when he realized he was swimming towards a mine.

Sword frantically tapped the buttons to command the diver to slow to a grinding halt, only inches away from the bomb. "That was a close one." The fighter sighed.

"HEY ASSHOLE." Brawler shouted as he tapped on the blonde's shoulder. "AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING!?"

The blade wielder raiser his head to find the piranha getting closer to the diver. With the pulse of his hand, he commanded the man to dodge the attack, allowing the swarm to slam into the bomb.

The bomb detonated, creating a fantastic explosion that killed a third of the school. Dead fish floated upward off-screen as the rest of the piranha shrieked in pain. On the upper-left corner of the screen, a new health bar appeared. Upon materializing, a third of it disappeared, leaving two halves behind.

"It got hurt?" Stammered Gunner.

"It got damaged when it rammed into the mine." Observed Brawler.

"That must be it." Said Sword. "If my weapons won't work, then I'll use the environment to my advantage."

"You mean exploding the mines to kill the fish?" Asked Gunner.

"Exactly."

"Alright, if you're going to do that, be aware of the bombs when you're trying to set up a trap, we wouldn't want you to explode yourself on accident." Replied the fist-fighter.

The piranha stopped its stunned animation and continued its pursuit towards the scuba diver.

"It's coming after you again!" Exclaimed the female Mii.

"No big deal, just trick it into going into a mine. It worked last time." Said Brawler.

However, the school formed itself into a make-shift hammer, preparing to swing itself onto the diver's back. "OH CRAP!" Panicked Sword as he pressed the buttons to command the 2D character to barely dodge the attack. The swarm disassembled and started to get close to Sword's character, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"They're forming themselves into weapons now? Greattttttt." Brawler said sarcastically.

"Got any ideas on how to deal with this Sword?" Gunner asked calmly.

It took a few seconds before Swordfighter responded. "Yeah, I think I have one. Hope it works."

The blonde positioned the character near a mine, standing very still in front of the piranha. One cue, the school of fish assembled themselves again, and took another swing.

The diver dodged out of the way and tricked the predators into slamming into the bomb, it exploded and caused the boss to lose more health. There was only a solid chunk of it left.

The blade wielder celebrated his minor victory. "Ha! Defeated them a second time. The next blow will surely kill them. This is easy as-"

The piranha suddenly disbanded their group and swarmed the diver, continuing their first strategy from before; biting and running. The trio's hearts stopped when they saw the health bar ticking down.

"The bar is going down again! But its going slower this time. I wonder why?" Said Gunner.

"Never mind that, we got bigger issues to fry!" Brawler yelled. "Sword swim away from them!"

"On it!"

Pressing on the buttons, he commanded the diver to evade.

 _But it was fruitless._

The piranha were right onto top of the swimmer, continuing their non-ending assault. If the Mii's fail to find a way to defeat the fish in time, it will be game over.

"This is not good! We can't escape their grasp!" Stated Gunner.

"We'll be nothing but bones if this keeps up. DAMMIT!" Brawler shouted in anger as he slammed his fist into the bed frame.

"No!" Sword growled. "We came so far to fail now!"

"Sword, if you have any ideas on how to deal with these monsters, go for it." Encouraged his female pal.

"And do it quickly! We're running out of time!" Spat Brawler.

Sword brain was running on the speed of light, going through the various methods on how to kill the piranha. It was going to be costly, but it's the only viable solution on hand.

"Pray to god this works." He pushed the joystick upwards, making the piranha-swarmed diver to head straight into a mine.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SWORD?!" Shrieked Gunner.

"YOU'RE GOING TO EXPLODE YOURSELF!" Brawler shouted with disbelief.

"That's the plan!" The blade wielder said with confidence, as the man's head touched the bomb's metal pins.

The denotation propelled the character and the school back. The remaining fish twitched several times before dying, floating away from the action. Thankfully, Sword's character was still in one piece.

Once the boss was killed, the piranha guarding the door disappeared from sight, leaving the tentacles behind. The only thing guarding the Mii's exit.

"It worked!" Exclaimed the blue Mii. "I can't believe it actually worked!"

"You did amazing Sword. You defeated those beast like it was nothing. You were victorious!"

"Don't be so celebratory guys, we lost a lot of health." Brawler explained as he pointed to the character's health bar, that was even shorted than before. "If we follow the pattern of these fights, the next boss will be even harder than the last two. Probably will be the challenge that determines if we make it or break it."

"Maybe if we try hard enough, if we're very careful. We can pull through!" Optimistically suggested the shooter.

"Ugh, I doubt it would work like that." Brawler spat pessimistically.

"In any case, we have to continue, we got no other choices left. Let's all pray we can survive the game…together." Sword responded sincerely

"Technically, you're doing all the work. We're just relaxing." Said the fist-fighter.

"Don't ruin the moment." Seethed Swordfighter.

"Whatever, just get us to the final boss already." Complained the black-haired Mii.

Sword rolled his eyes as he focused his attention back on the screen. Totally unaware on what's happening in outer space.

* * *

 **Hey guys, it's me.**

 **I've created enough chapters to last a month and half or so.**

 **I'm going to try to release them on a weekly basis to space things out.**

 **If you want to review or ask me anything. Just leave a comment or PM me.**

 **Till next time.**


	30. Chapter 30: A Cosmic Stand-Off

**Hey guys, back with another chapter, It's short but i hope you like it.**

 **know to answer some of the comments in the reviews.**

 **Guest 1: The Miis and the Newcomers will get a lot of coverage, with the Veterans getting a decent amount of coverage. There will be a reason for this far later on in the story. I don't plan on featuring the Newcomers from Ultimate since this takes place doing the Wii U/3ds era. But I might change my mind later on.**

 **Anonymous: All Newcomers including Palutena will show up during the Newcoming. it'll just take some time to get there.**

 **Guest 2: Thank you, i'm glad you like it. I hope you enjoy what I have planned later on.**

 **bootlegwat: At least it's not overrated, am i right :), Okay i'll stop now.**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: A Cosmic Stand-Off**

"Ook ahh ooh ahh ahh ugh ugh? Ugh ahh oooh oooh?" (Who keeps a library on a space ship? Like what's the purpose?) Diddy Said, taking in the view of the small structure.

"To store information most likely." Explained Zero Suit as she readied her Taser at the door, then she turned her head to Lucario. "How many people are in the room again?"

" _I sense two auras within the structure."_ Closing his eyes, the canine could see right through the walls. _"One large being whose mind is in a state of calm, more than likely unconscious. The other one is a being of smaller size, this creature is opposite of the first one. It appears to be panicking. The kind panic you go through when you're face with a dangerous situation, and you don't know what to do."_

"Someone's panicking?! Are they in danger?!" Pit asked with concern.

"We'll know when we get inside." Grunted Snake. "There's no point standing here doing nothing.

Walking up to the entrance, the angel ran up to the door and hastily placed a hand on the handle, to his dismay, it was locked. "It won't open! We got to get in there!" The preteen began to bank against the wooden frame as he shouted. Hoping to either break the door down or to get the Newcomer's attention. Either way works.

The Veteran stopped upon feeling a tap on his neck. He turned his head to the right to see Pichu sit on his shoulder looking at him. "What?"

The small mouse pointed to the lock above the door handle. Turned sideways to indicate it had bolted the entrance.

"Oh, ha ha." Pit rubbed a hand behind his head, feeling embarrassed. "My mistake."

Whiles the angel unlocked the door, the jackal was busy observing the interior of the room with his Aura Vision. The small aura, the one that was in a state of panic, felt startled at Pit's sloppy attempts to get in the room. But then it quickly shook it off a developed a sense of urgency, it speeded to the door in a protective rage. With the objective of attacking the intruders on its mind.

"Okay I'm going in." Replied the preteen. Lucario's adrenaline spiked when he realized what was about to go down, he telepathically shouted to his friend in order to warn him. _"Pit, wait!"_

But it was too late, he swung the door wide open, feeling grateful he was going to save another life.

 _He was promptly stunned however, when a yellow creature came rushing from the building, delivering a solid punch to his frail nose._

The preteen wonder and Pichu was propelled high off into the air, landing several feet away on the hard ground, with a painful thud. Both of the Smashers were dizzy beyond hell, barely comprehending the situation at hand.

The remaining group had formed a half-circle around the attacker, who appeared alert under their presence. The creature had a body shape reminiscing that of a star. It had few colors on itself; yellow for the entire skin, and black for its eyes; which had a similar style to Ness and Lucas. It hovered above the floor preparing it's stubby arms for an fierce battle, ready to unleash.

Lucario would have already blasted the thing away with his force palm if it wasn't for the fact he still had his aura vision trained on it. Scanning the aura, he could determine two key facts: One, the creature was a Smasher, and two, it attacked out of fear. Fear that they would hurt something important to it.

Wanting to take the pacifist route, he silently telepathically ordered the Smashers to stand down. _"Everyone! Don't attack! It's fine!"_

His comrades look at him with disbelief, they were about to speak but the mutt beat them to the punch. _"It misunderstood our intentions, the creature thinks were going to do something nefarious. Let me handle this."_ Lucario directed his attention to the Newcomer, who hadn't changed its stance whiles he was talking to the others.

" _Hello? Can you understand me?"_ The jackal called out to yellow creature. The star looked from side to side, curious to where the voice in it's head came from untill it realized that the blue dog in front of it was the one responsible for the call. _"Listen I know how…scary we look. How we came here all of a sudden without notice. But none of us have ill will towards you. I promise."_

It didn't fully believe him, the star observed the six Smashers in full, not knowing what to do next.

Snake, holding his pistol, faced his head to the Pokémon. He was about to speak verbally to his friend but he stopped when he understood that it might make things worse. So instead, he focused eyesight at the jackal. He had limited experience with having telepathic conversations with other telepathic individuals. Mostly because that Lucario and Mewtwo were the only Smashers in the mansion capable of using telepathy. But thankfully, his blue-furred friend had recently him how to communicate with him using his mind.

He didn't teach him how to learn telepathy necessary, just how to speak directly with psychics. Despite learning this new trick, he preferred the old fashioned way of using his vocal cords to convey his words. But he got the notion that it was a good of a time as any to use it now. He focused his thoughts at Lucario, using a simple vocabulary to form his question. _"Lucario, it's still hostel, why did it attack us?"_

The Pokemon became mildly surprised to hear Snake's words but shook it off almost instantaneously. _"I think it's trying to protect something, mostly likely the other being that's inside the building. Basing on how the creature is trying to prevent us from entering the room. I'm going on a limb here that the two have a bond of some sort."_

" _How do you think we should approach this? Should we talk it out, or hold it down and then talk it out"_

" _We'll be more convincing if we try the diplomatic approach first."_ Lucario formed a plan in his head to calm the star, when it came to fruition he put it into action. _"We could get through to it by talking about the other Newcomer, we have to be cautious with our word choice, but I really think this is the best route."_

" _Alright, then I'll let you handle this. You're better at handling these kinds of situations then I ever could."_

The two gave a nod towards each other, then Lucario took a couple of steps forwards, doing his best to appear non-threatening to the star. _"I sense you're reluctant to trust us, are you acting like this because you're afraid that we're going to hurt the other person inside the library?"_

The star's eyes widen, not expecting that kind of response. It became angrier, glowing brighter with light. Which made the Smashers feel very uncomfortable.

Lucario waved his arms in front of his muzzle. _"Woah, woah. Hold it, hold it!"_

The creature stopped glowing, and looked at him with a glare.

" _Listen, we're not here to hurt you, or the person you're protecting. Quite the opposite actually. We're here to save people, we're rescuers you see. It's our objective."_ Lucario took a breath, wanting to take a lung-full of air before continuing. _"Are you both okay? Have any of you retain any significant injuries or conditions when you two found yourselves here?"_

The floating star dropped its fighting stance, giving a quick glance to the door.

" _Did something happen to the person you're protecting?"_

The star looked at him with a solemn expression, nodding its head very lightly.

" _Well, we can possibly do whatever we can to help, we aren't well trained in medicine, I'm sure we can do something to benefit the situation. But we'll only do it with your permission of course. Will you allow us to come in?"_

The creature stared at the ground for what seemed like an eternity, not knowing what to do. In the end however, it reluctantly agreed to the proposition.

The group relaxed their posture, glad they didn't had to resort to fighting. _"Thank you. You won't regret this decision. I promise."_

The Smashers and the star when inside, with Snake and Zero Suit dragging Pit and Pichu along with them. Wondering what awaits them in the bowels of the library.

* * *

 **Sorry, made a mistake there.**


	31. Chapter 31: Asteroid Hell

**Chapter 31: Asteroid Hell**

The smashers went inside the building, search for the Newcomer that the star was desperately trying to save. They kept walking until they suddenly froze in their tracks, with Zero Suit and Snake letting go of the angel and rat.

Pichu groaned when his head hit the rug, he rubbed his temples to sooth the pain.

"Oww that hurt! Why did that star…ah. Guys what are we-…guys?" Pit asked his friends but they didn't respond. The team was staring at some else. The angel and Pokemon followed their line of sight to a statue that was positioned in the middle of the room.

 _A statue of a young princess, with blonde hair, a blue dress, a sliver tiara, and a big wand._

"She's a trophy?!" The words fell out of Zero Suit's mouth with the utmost of surprise, inspecting every angel of the statue to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her. "She should be up and running, why is she in her trophy state?"

"How is this bad?" Asked Pit; rising onto his feet. "Didn't Smashers start off as statues when they are first created?"

"Yeah, in the past." The voice of Snake boomed with steady confidence, but if one takes a closer examination, you could feel a sense of concern in his tone. "In the 64 and Melee era, all Newcomers resort to their inactive state; waiting for an outside force to awaken them again. This ended when the Brawl era began. The last time something like this happen was when…Master Hand was at the height of his power."

The room was unnaturally quiet; everyone in the room was trying to comprehend what Snake was trying to say.

Lucario, being his right-hand man, decided to be the one to speak up. _"Snake. What do you think this could mean?"_

The solider was deep in thought, tapping the exterior of his gun holster as he tried to think of an answer. "This may sound crazy, but what if-"

"HE-CHU!" The star-like creature blurted out to the group, getting their attention.

" _Huh?"_ The canine looked down at the yellow life form as he pointed to the statue. _"That's right, the woman. We got to bring her out of this condition!"_ Declared Lucario; remembering the promise he gave out.

"Ook ahh ugh yaah ook ahh?" (All we have to do is to touch the base right?) The monkey said adjusting his hat.

" _That should be the case; even though we haven't had a Newcomer become trophyfied at conception for some time now. It wouldn't be anything too difficult to manage; it'll just a simple act of reviving."_

"Alright, I'll just touch the base so-"

"Pichu!" (Wait!) The mouse shouted, interrupting Zero Suit in the process.

"Yes Pichu?" Snake sighed in annoyance.

"Pichu pich chu? hu chu hu pic pic hu chu pichu hu chu chu." (Can I do it? I never had the chance to revive someone before. I really want to experience it!) The Pokemon then puffed out his cheeks, giving out the best "sad puppy face" he'd done in a while "Piiiiccchhuuuuu?" (Pleeeaaaasssseeeee?)

The solider didn't want to give in mouse pleas but he wasn't in the mood to reject the offer. "*sigh* Fine, you can do it. Just-"

"PICHU!" (YAY!) Exclaimed the yellow rat as he sprinted over to the trophy. "Pichu pic chu hu!" (I'm going to be a hero!) Squealed the mammal as he tapped the golden base. The statue began to glow, blinding the room in a white light; when the luminescence came to pass. It revealed that the princess wearing the blue dress; was now active.

Upon waking from her trophy state, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with her left hand. "Mmph, my head is killing, must not have gotten enough sleep." When the woman opened her eyelids, she was startled to see a handful of strangers gathered around her, each one looking different that the last.

Before she can utter a word, she was playfully tackled by the star-like creature, who hugged the woman's waist as if it let go, she be gone again.

"It's nice to see you're alright. We were worried for a second that you were hurt." Said Snake; who examined the princess in all her fine detail.

The floating blonde was conflicted: She was cautious with having strangers coming to her home, but at the same time, she saw no visible malice coming from any of them. "Who are you?" The woman said, starting the conversation off.

"That answer to that question would be very tricky to answer, but if you're wondering what our names are. We can gladly give it to you. My name codename is Solid Snake. Glad to be of service." The soldier said with respect.

"My name is Zero Suit Samus, but you can call me Zero Suit for short."

"Pichu pic!" (Hi, I'm Pichu!)

"Ook ahh ugh ook hah hoo." (Name's Diddy, nice to meet ya.)

"What? Oh were doing instructions?! Uh, I'm Pit the Angel, Palutena's finest solider."

" _And I'm Lucario, I know how strange this may seem, but trust us. We have no ill intent."_

The princess listened to each and everyone of the Smasher's taking mental notes. When the introductions were finished, she pet the star on its back and questioned the group's motives. "Well those are…some interesting names, but I want to know is what you're all doing here? This is place is supposed to be a secret."

"Oh! Sorry about that. We didn't mean to intrude onto your ship!" Stammered Pit. "We didn't know what this place was, we just came here because we found that someone was in trouble here. So we came to place to help out!"

"Trouble? What on earth do you mean?" Asked the Newcomer. The star that was holding onto her waist let go and began to talk to her. It let out a series of noises that sounded gibberish to the Smasher's but the woman could understand the creature just fine. When she got the full picture, she opened her eyes wide in shock. "We were locked in library and I turned into a statue?!" The star nodded, pointing to the Rescuers. "And these were the one's who brought me back to normal?"

The star did a twirl as it nodded again.

"That doesn't make sense, how—wait, where are you're siblings?! What happened to the other Lumas?!"

The yellow creature expression had faltered, shrugging its shoulders.

"Oh, no no no no no!" The princess panicked, levitating over to the Smashers. All of you! Have you seen anyone when you came on to my ship?!"

"Sorry, but we haven't." Zero Suit answered truthfully. "We didn't find anyone here besides you two."

"This is not good! I have to find my children!" Shouted the woman; concern being visible on her face.

Lucario took a step forward, standing up straight with a sense of honor. _"I can't imagine how worried you are miss…?"_

"It's Rosalina."

" _Well Miss Rosalina, I know it may seem freighting to have your children vanish out of nowhere. But I assure you, they are not in danger. They haven't transported to anywhere where they could be harmed."_

"Yeah, in fact they're not even in this dimension." Pit said, earning slap to the back of the head by Snake.

"Not even in this dimension?!" Gasped Rosalina.

" _Listen, we'll explain later what happened to you and you're kids when we get to our base. It's too dangerous to stay out here for long. Are you willing to come with us?"_ The blue Pokémon asked sincerely.

With all the information coming into her brain, she had trouble deciding on what to do. "I-"

*RIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG*

All of a sudden, the alarm in the library sprung to life, providing an almost ear-splitting noise that emanated throughout the room.

"What's going on!?" Spoke the solider.

"The alarm system has been activated. That means we're in trouble!" Rosalina said, who quickly flew to the door, opening it wide for everyone. "Come on! Follow me!"

All the Smashers ran towards the exit, wondering to see what the woman was going to do about the alarm.

* * *

The six fighters followed the woman near a computer terminal, right in front of the glowing sphere. She waved her wand over the keyboard, pulling up a small message on screen. "This is not good, we have to evacuate immediately!"

"Why?" Asked Zero Suit Samus.

The blonde then tapped a key on the computer with her finger, pulling up a holographic screen above her head. "Because of this!" Rosalina pointed to the digital square.

The hologram showed a video of a countless asteroids flying through a hazy orange background. It almost looked like twisted piece of art.

"What is that?!" Pit shouted nervously.

"It's a meteor shower." Explained the princess. "And it's the largest I ever seen, it's big enough to cover a galaxy. If we don't evade the storm, our chances of get demolished will be very probable."

"Ookk ahh ohh akk ugh ohh ahh?" (Can we just light speed out?) Said Diddy.

Rosalina and the Luma were confused upon hearing the monkey speak. "What did he say?" Spoke Rosa.

"He's asking if this ship has a light speed function, you know, to escape the storm." Explained the solider.

"Yes, my ship is capable of that! Let me see if it still works." The floating Newcomer waved her wand over the computer, to which a message popped up besides the hologram. "This is not good! We don't have enough energy for light speed travel! With the amount of power we have, we can only propel our rockets normally to get away. It might give us more time, but eventually the meteors will catch up, and then we'll be in more trouble!"

"Can I take a look at the ship's gauge?" Interrupted the bounty hunter.

The princess and the star stepped aside and let the blue-suited woman examine the ship's data. "Hey guys! If we put this ship into high gear! We could potentially reach the light beam in time for us to get out of here!"

"Light beam? How is a beam of light going to help us at all?" Rosalina asked inquisitively.

" _We'll explain on the way there, all you need to know is that we found a shortcut from space to our home planet. How fast can you get this ship up and running?"_ Lucario said.

"I can do it right now. Just tell me where to go and I'll fly us there."

"Can you get us here?" Samus pointed over to the screen, pressing her index finger right onto the moon; the one they to teleported when they arrived in space.

"Okay, I operate the ships controls immediately." She then faced down towards the star creature "Luma! I need you to look over the Comet Observatory's computer whiles I pilot the ship. Can you handle that?"

The cute Luma gave her a salute. As he floated over to the computer.

"Good." She declared before turning over to the group of Veterans. "Can you look over him whiles I'm gone?"

"Absolutely, you can count on us." Nodded Snake.

Rosalina gave a sigh of relief before levitating over to the top of the space vehicle. Seconds later, the spiral object began to move. The engines roared with life as the princess did her best to drive her precious treasure away from the monstrous storm.


	32. Chapter 32: Lunar Scavenging

**Chapter 32: Lunar Scavenging**

"[-And now you're trying to evade the coming storm with the help of the Newcomer's ship?]" R.O.B. asked worryingly.

" _That was the idea, I would prefer the trip to be much smoother, but apparently space had other plans for us."_ Answered Lucario, sighing with disdain for the amount of bad luck they've been getting.

Whiles Rosalina piloted them to the moon, the group decided now was the best time to let R.O.B. know about everything they encountered: How they located the Comet Observatory, how the meeting with one of the Newcomers had almost become hostile, how the princess had already became the trophy, and how there is now over a thousand meteors coming their way.

 _ **Today had really been a crappy day.**_

"Well hopefully this trouble will soon be over, we're heading towards the beam of light now, and we'll be back on the planet before you know it." Said the angel.

"[That's good at least.]" The robot spoke as he relaxed in his chair.

"Should we call you back when we get back to earth?" Suggested Snake.

"[No. Usually I would say yes, but now I do not feel comfortable in this current situation you're in. Just keep me on the line; it'll be better for all of us if I have constant contact with you all. I might even be able to give so advice if something goes wrong.]"

" _If we're going to do that, I'm handing the communicator back to Snake, we'll let you know if anything happens."_ Lucario replied as he gave the device back to the solider, he then took a peek over the edge and smiled. _"And I think we arrived at our destination."_

Looking over the edge of the ship, the group could see that cratered-filled surface of the moon was coming into view. Within a minute, they landed perfectly on the large white sphere, indicating that it was time to get off and step on the white ground.

Moments later, Rosalina and Luma came back to the Smashers, ready to follow their rescuer's directions.

"Where to now?" Asked the princess?

" _Like we said during the flight, there is a beam of light that can transport matter from our planet to outer space, if we get into the light, we'll be transported back to our homeworld. All we have to do is…!"_ Lucario suddenly became silent, his body tense as fear emanated from his muzzle.

"[Lucario. What's wrong?]" R.O.B. said.

The jackal turned to the communicator and spoke the words that put everyone on edge. _"The light. It's not there anymore!"_

Diddy almost choked on his own spit. "OHH AHH UGHH UGGH OOHH AHH UGH!?" (WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE!?)

" _I mean that the beam is gone, it vanished!"_

"No that can't be right! Perhaps it's just dimly lit!" Pit Exclaimed as he ran towards the spot where the light once shone, with everyone following him.

"I can't believe it! It's gone!" Zero said in shock, looking at the earth in shock. "What could have caused this?"

"[Something bad must had happened to the light bulb! It's the only thing that explains why it's not working anymore!]"

"R.O.B., couldn't you send another team to the lighthouse to fix the bulb?"

"[I can try! Wait! How close is the meteor storm?]"

The group looks up to the sky, horrified to see a plethora of glowing dots in the distance, slowly getting bigger. "I don't know, but I have a feeling it won't be for long!" Rosalina Spoke.

"[Well if that's the case, I'm going to hurry up and find some volunteers! I'll be very soon! Try to find anything that might help you in your current situation!]"

"Like what?! We're on the moon!" Said Pit.

"[I don't know; just do your best to find anything that might help against the coming storm. I have to go now to prepare the group now! I'll be back shortly! I promise!]" R.O.B. spoke worryingly before cutting off the mic.

"Pich hu chu hu pic pic chu pichu pic chu chu pich pichu" (We're in the middle of nowhere! We're defenseless! How are we going to escape the asteroids!)"

"Should we run to the other side of the moon to avoid getting hit by the meteor storm?" Suggested Pit.

" _No way! We won't be able to reach there in time!"_ The jackal replied sharply.

"Well could we use the ship to fly back to our home world?" Suggested the angel as he pointed to the earth.

"My ship doesn't have enough fuel to make the trip!" Answered Rosalina; with her star nodding solemnly behind her.

"What does your ship run on?" Asked Snake.

"It uses Power Stars as an energy source!"

"Stars? You mean like the sun?" Interrupted Zero Suit.

"No! Power Stars are completely different from celestial ones! Power stars are tangible; have the body shape of a five-pointed star, and have two black eyes on the front of it. They look similar to Luma here, but except they're much more stiff and non-living!"

"Could we find these "Power Stars" here on this moon?" The angel told the princess.

"I doubt it, Power Stars are usually found in the void of space, not on celestial objects like the moon."

Whiles the Smashers were deciding upon a strategy on what to do next, Pichu bumped his foot into something hard; looking down; he could see something shiny sticking out of the soil of the moon.

"Pichu!" (Guys!) The mouse's yelp got the attention of everyone. "What is it?" Snake asked harshly than usually.

The small yellow Pokémon gripped on the shiny object, attempting to uproot it from earth of the moon. "Pichu pic chu pic pic chu!" (There's something big underground!)

"Is that thing glowing?" Asked Zero Suit.

"Ugh ooh ook." (I think so.) Commented Diddy Kong.

"Let me see that!" Rosalina knelt down to shiny object, after examining it for a second or two, her Adrenaline spiked in excitement. "Everyone I think we found a Power Star!"

"We did! Oh thank the heavens!" Exclaimed pit; his voice outmatching the surprised voices of the group.

"Hold on, why would a Power Star be doing underground, didn't Rosa said they're commonly found in space?!" Said Snake.

"That doesn't matter right now! Let's just get the star out of the ground!" Samus sat on her knees, using her fingernails to dig out the lunar dirt surrounding the shiny object. "Don't just stand there! Help me!"

Under her command, every last one of the Smashers did their part to dig out the shiny star. Even Luma joined in to help.

When the finally got rid of all of the surrounding earth, they were confused to what they found. Instead of a Power Star, they found something else: The shiny object appeared to be in the shape of a crescent moon; its form glowing a yellow hue. The strangest thing about this "Moon", was the two wide blue eyes staring back at them.

" _Is it alive?"_ Lucario?

"I don't think so." The princess told the canine as she lifted the shiny object in her hands. Taking a closer look in the pit, she could see three more moons inside. "Hey there are more of these…moons inside!"

"What the heck are they? I haven't seen anything like that before." Stated Pit.

"Neither have I, and I have explored the Cosmos for years! This is a first for me." Said Rosalina. "Hmmm."

The bounty hunter spoke the Newcomer. "What's wrong?"

The floating woman shook her head in reassurance. "Nothings wrong, I'm just thinking. Even though I haven't seen these objects before, I realized that these moons do look similar to the Power Stars I mentioned earlier."

" _Do you think that means something?"_ Questioned Lucario.

"Possibly." Rosalina became silent, observing the star for a moment before an idea formed inside her skull. "Wait! If these moons are similar too…could it be possible that…I got to try this out!" The princess muttered to herself before flying off to the ship, being followed closely by the star-like creature.

"Ohh! akk okk ugh ahh?!" (Hey! Where's she going?!) The monkey exclaimed

" _She's going back to the Comet Observatory!"_ Announced Lucario.

"You think she figured something out?" Snake asked his right-hand man.

The canine looked back to his friend. _"I don't know but we should follow her!"_ The jackal scooped up the remaining stars in his arms. _"Come on!"_

* * *

The Veterans chased the Newcomer back to the space ship, where they found Rosalina floating very close to glowing sphere. She extended her arms outwards, the shiny moon becoming visible within her arms.

The moon floated out of her grasp, levitating in mid-air as it spun around horizontally at an in incredible speed.

Then it slammed into the sphere.

The ball of plasma absorbed the moon, when it did; it seemed to glow significantly brighter.

The princess seemed astonished at what she accomplished. "So it is compatible with my ship after all. This changes the game."

"What do you mean "It changes the game"?" Asked Solid Snake; who like the rest of his team, finally caught up with the runaway Newcomer.

She turned around with a new founded sense of hope. "I'm talking about the moons we found. They can be used as an alternative fuel source for my ship. That means we have a way of getting out of here!"

" _If these moons are out ticket out of here, how much more do we need for takeoff?"_ Lucario said, presenting the three moons in his arms.

Rosa looked at the sphere, making calculations. "Judging by the state of the core, we're going to need more than four moons."

"So we're still screwed?" Asked Pit.

"Not necessary. It's possible there are more moons hidden within the lunar crust." Reminded the princess.

"If that's the case. How are we going to find it? The moons could be anywhere." Said Zero Suit.

Rosalina thought carefully before realizing what she can do. "If I can use my cosmic magic on the moons we currently have. I can detect the one's that are still hidden underground; if there's still any left there is."

"Well what are we waiting for? Lucario, give the Newcomer the moons. Times of the essence right now."

The canine obeyed, giving the princess the three shiny objects he held within his paws. Rosalina carefully touched the moons within her grasp; closing her eyes when until they shot up like a speeding bullet. "Oh my! There are moons hidden everywhere. The surface is practically littered with them!"

"That's good; at least our last chance of survival wasn't a lost cause." Sighed Snake.

"Ohh ahh ugh ugh ook ook ahh ahh ugh ook." (Hey guys, I think the meteors are getting closer.) Diddy warned as her pointed to the sky.

Following his finger, everyone could see that the meteor storm has indeed gotten closer than before, the background of space being turned from a dead black to a fiery orange.

"We can't waste any more time!" Rosa exclaimed as she threw the moons into the core. "We have to get those moons as soon as possible! That means we have to get digging! Luna and I will mark the spots where the moons are located. Then we'll join you in unearthing our much needed fuel source. Does everyone understand?"

" _Yes Madam."_

"Got it!"

"We'll do it no time."

"I uh, yeah sure! We can do it!"

"PICHU!" (YES!)

"Ook." (Yep.)

"Lumma!"

"Then let's get digging!" Rosalina shouted at the top of her lungs, energizing the group. The trophies leaped off of the ship, with the princess and the star taking the lead. The duo flew to seemingly random spots on the ground; sketching thick "X's" deep into the moon.

Once the spots were visible, the Veterans immediately went to work. They divided into three groups of twos: Snake and Lucario, Zero Suit and Pichu, and lastly, Diddy and Pit.

The individual groups went to the sections where there was a high volume of X's in the surrounding area.

The team consisting of the angel and the monkey chose the section where the X's formed a rough circle on the ground; they positioned themselves in the very middle of the lunar shape.

"So how are we going to do this?" Pit asked his partner. "Should we dig all of the spots as fast as we can?"

"Ooh, aah ook ugh ugh ook ah hook ooo." (No, we'll waste a lot of time by doing that.) Diddy scratched his head before asking. "Ohh ahh ugh ohh akk ugh, ohh ughh ahh okk ughh?" (Maybe we can blow it up, do we have any explosives?)

"Oh, good idea. Let me check." Pit laid his backpack down and opened it up, once he examined the contents of the carry-on. His face display great disappointment. "Sorry buddy, but we don't have any bombs we can spare."

"Ooh akk okk ugh ugh ahh ohh ooohh uggh ah hook ugh akk, ook ooo ahh ahhh?" (Well perhaps there's something in there that can still help us, can I see the bag?)

The teen handed the pack to Diddy, allowing him to see the inside of the sack for himself. Inside the backpack were: A Star Rod, a Fairy Jar, A tub of ice cream (Really Pit?), a Pokéball, and lastly a winged blue shell. Most people in this situation wouldn't find any use for these items, but Diddy Kong was very crafty for a Smasher. Once he spotted the shell he formed a scheme inside his skull.

"Ohh ahh okk ahh, okk ahh okk ahh ugh ugh." (I have a plan, but you not like it.) Said the monkey.

"Why?" Pit asked curiously.

"Oh akk ugh ohh aah ugh ugh huh ook ahh ooh ugh ugh." (I'll explain in a second, We can potentially uncover the moons in one go if we use this blue shell.) Diddy said as he pulled the item from the bag.

"How would that thing help us?"

"Ohh ahh ugh ughh ack oh ok." (If we get this shell to hit that spot.) Diddy explained ash he pointed to the circle. "Ugh uhh ah hook ah, ugh ohh ah hook ahh okk hah hoo." (It may destroy the dirt, allowing us to get the moons without any hassle.)

"But the blue shell only targets the Smasher that's closer to the thrower." Spoke the angel. "How are you going to get it to hit the spot?"

"Oh, ooh hoo haa ack ugh oo ahh. Ohh ahh ugh hah oh, oh ahh ugh ugh ho ha-" (Yeah, this is that part you might hate. If I used you as bait, and threw this shell at you-)

"WHAT?! USE ME AS BAIT?!" Pit yelled out in disbelief.

"Ohh ugh ahh! Ohh ugh ahh. Ohh hoo ugh ugh ah hack ugh ugh haa, ugh ahh ooh ook ook. Ugh ooh ack hoo haah ook ugh ugh ah." (Let me explain! Let me explain. If you stood in that spot whiles I throw the shell at you, and if you dodge it just in time. We can accomplish our harvest without any causalities.)

"I guess that makes sense, but why am I the bait?!"

"Oh hack ugh ugh ohh ahh ha." (Because you are faster than me.)

"Oh I don't know Diddy, this plan seems too dangerous! What if either of us gets hurt or-" Pit was interrupted when Diddy laid a paw on his shoulder. "Ohh, ugh ugh hoh ha ha ugh ook ohh okk ugh ack ack, oh uh uh ahh, oh hoh ho ha, oh oh. Hoo…" (Pit, this may be our only shot to bring in the mother-load, to save everyone, to be a hero. Please…)

Pit stared at the Kong for a couple seconds before nodding his head with a sense of duty. "Alright, I'll do it!"

"Ooh! Oh ugh ah hoo haa hoo ook." (Great! Now I just need you to stand right here.) Diddy guided the angel to the middle of the circle, after he was done, he quickly exited the ring and winded up his arm. "Ohh. Hoo? HAH!" (Ok. Ready? GO!) The monkey threw the shell with a quick flash of his limb. Once the item left his paw, it almost immediately hovered over Pit, vibrating heavily in the air.

"Hoo Haa Ooh." (Wait for it.) Said Diddy.

The angel reluctantly obeyed, not wanting to mess up their chance.

"Hoo Haa Ooh!" (Wait for it!)" Diddy repeated at a louder tone.

Pit was shaking in his sandals, worrying that any moment now; the big blue terror from above would crash down on his holy head.

The shell did a flip as it faced the hard end of its structure downwards to the angel.

"HAAA!" (DODGE!) The little Kong exclaimed

Pit didn't need to be told twice. When he heard his cue, he used his wings to fly out of the danger zone, just right before the moment it hit the marked area; a cloud of dust covering the impact. The teen was so focused on getting out of there; he didn't realize he was heading towards Diddy. When he saw his mistake, he tried to avoid his fellow Smasher but it was too late.

He accidentally crashed into the monkey, sending them both forcefully towards the ground.

"Oof! Man that smarts. Sorry about that." Pit said sheepishly as he apologized.

"Ugh ook, hooh haa ack ugh ugh." (It fine, it's no big deal.) Diddy responded as he pulled Pit and himself off of the ground. "Oh hook ugh, ack hoo haa hoo ugh ack hoo." (No come on, let's see if our plan was successful.)

The duo went closer to the new crater that was formed moments ago when the shell hit the lunar earth. Looking inside, they could a huge pile of shiny moons piled up together, producing a glow that mesmerized the two Veterans.

"Yep, it worked!" Pit said victoriously as he offered a fist bump, to which Diddy pounded his paw against the angel's hand. After which they immediately sprinted to the crater.

Snake and Lucario went to the section where all of the moons were all clumped together into a large mass, like that of a tumor. However, unlike the rest of the X's, this X was marked upon a large boulder. Indicating where the team should mine.

"So our fuel is in that rock." Remarked the solider.

" _It appears so."_ Replied Lucario as both of them got closer. The canine placed a paw on the hard surface as he winded up his fist. _"I'm going to attempt to use a force palm on it, might want to stand clear."_

His blue palms glowed with aura, projecting a powerful beam at the lunar stone, unfortunately, the attack didn't do anything. It merely just tilted the rock a little ways backwards before going back to its original position.

"It didn't work." Said Snake, folding his arms around his torso.

" _We'll find another way, we always do. We just need to find it."_ The Pokémon told his friend. _"Did your crafty mind find any solutions to our problem?"_

Snake observed the boulder in closer detail; visible on the boulder's surface, there were several spider webs of large cracks on the surface. Seeing this, Snake internally smirked. "There are cracks on the boulder, do you see them?"

Lucario took a second look and saw what Snake was talking about. _"I see them, what about them?"_

"If we focus on causing damage on the cracks, we could shatter the boulder into pieces; allowing us to get to the moons."

" _That seems like a solid strategy, but the boulder is very dense. I doubt we can break it by using our normal attacks."_

"Then let's use our specials then." Snake said as he pulled out some explosives. "We need to put these C4 on the weakened areas. Once we're done, we'll get to a safe distance and I'll press the trigger." The solider looked at the rock once more and frowned. "Hmm, although I don't think I'll be able to navigate the boulder as effectively as I like to."

" _Then let me place the bombs."_ Butted in Lucario. _"I'm fast and athletic. I'll go around and set up the C4. That way we'll have time to spare."_

Snake handed him the explosives. "Alright then, when you're done. Come back here."

The jackal nodded at his friend, starting his task by jumping into the air. He did another jump as he landed with both his feet on the rock. He used Extreme Speed to place the bombs; the view of the canine disappear and appearing on various parts on the boulder before finally stopping next to Snake. _"It's set. Push it."_

The solider obeyed, gripping the trigger with absolute confidence.

The boulder disappeared within a cloud of fire and dust, clouding the nearby area with lunar debris. When the visibility cleared, Snake and Lucario could see that the large rock had been split into many pieces; with Power Moons being mixed in between them.

" _It's super effective!"_ Exclaimed Lucario; earning a smirk from Snake as they went to the exploded area to gather more fuel.

Pichu and Zero Suit Samus were the last Smashers to yet gain some stars. The section that hasn't been taken over by the other two teams, had moons that were scattered all over underground, being spread far apart from on another.

Luckily, the dirt happened to be very loose, letting Pichu, Zero Suit, Rosalina, and Luma to unearth the moons without any struggle.

"Pichu pic chu hu chu pichu?" (How many more do we need?) Said the electric mouse, his voice feeling strained from the digging he was doing.

"I don't know." Replied Rosa. "And since I don't know how many more moons we still need, we have to gather as much as we can before the storm comes."

"Lets hope we get enough by then." Spoke Samus.

"LLUUUMMMMAAAAA!" A high-pitched cried rang through all of the Smashers ear drums. They all turned around to see Luma had discontinued his digging; gazing at the sky with utter fear.

The meteor storm had come closer than expected, the floating rocks becoming bigger in the eyes of the trophies. Pockets of small asteroids had split off from the swarm; hitting the moon at various places on the surface.

"Oh no! The storm is inching near!" Exclaimed the princess. "We need to hurry up our endeavor!"

"But there are still moons here that we need to gather! We can't just leave it behind!" Argued Zero Suit.

"But if we continue harvesting, we are putting our self at risk by getting hit by the small meteors! How do you plan to get around that problem?"

The athletic blonde was thinking of a potential solution, at that moment in time, she got one. "Pichu!" She yelled, getting the small Pokémon's attention. "I need you to destroy any asteroids that come near us, can you handle that?"

The mouse didn't even hesitate; he gave a big salute as he kept his eye to the sky.

"Are you sure he's up for the task?" Asked Rosa.

"Trust me." Reaffirmed Zero. "I know what I'm doing."

"If we're doing that, I'm going to give Luma a job as well." Said the Newcomer as she turned to the star. "Luma. Try to help the others with bringing their moons to the ship. I'll be there shortly."

The Luma made a noise that was along the lines of agreement, as it flew away.

The girls were digging under the intense pressure they were in right now; being target by meteors. Thankfully, Pichu volunteered himself to protect the female Smashers from the dangerous rocks with his electric powers. Even though using his powers would mean he'd get hurt in the process, it was the price he was willing to pay. After all, what kind of friend would he be if he didn't help them out at their time of need?

Pichu spent a minute or two jumping into the air, swatting tiny meteors about the size of golf balls, away from Zero and Rosalina.

'Pichu, pic chu hu chu chu pic pic chu.' (Okay, this seems to be going good so far.)Pichu said to himself before his eyes widen. 'Pich chu pichu.' (Spoke to soon.)

Five asteroids were heading towards their dig site. These asteroids were significantly larger then the ones he knocked away. Pichu thought their size were similar to the big colorful balls Wii Fit Trainer uses in her exercises.

Upon realizing he couldn't take them out with pure strength alone, he sighed and gritted his teeth. Pichu did a high leap off the ground, following up with a double jump to land on the first meteor.

He then landed; charged his little chest with electricity-sparks dancing around his body. When he was ready to release, he zapped the boulder, making it exploded into several pieces.

Pichu twirled his form to do a back-flip, using Quick Attack to reach his second target. Just like the first asteroid, he shattered the second one using the kinetic energy of his ability.

There were only three more left, but they were getting dangerous close to the girls. If he took the rocks out one at a time, it would be too late. He'd have to destroy them in one shot.

But as luck may have it. The asteroids happen to move in a linear fashion, forming a crooked line. Seeing his chance, he generated a thundercloud from above, commanding it to discharge a lighting bolt that went through the three meteors into Pichu.

The move vaporized the rocks, to Pichu's relief. But because his own electric powers tend to hurt him whenever he used them, the mouse became stiff in pain when the bolt touched his body.

He was free falling now, heading towards the moon at fast pace; just when he was about to hit to ground. Zero Suit used the energy whip that was built into her gun to catch Pichu.

"Pichu! Can you still hear me?" Asked the bounty hunter as she reeled him in.

"Pichu pic." (Never better.) Pichu said in a daze as Samus laid the Pokémon onto her shoulder. "Pichu pic chu pic pi chu." (Did we win already?) The mouse spoke whiles his eyes were forming spirals.

"If your asking about our harvest. Rosalina said we got all the moons we need. Isn't that right?" Zero asked the space princess.

"You're correct!" She answered, using her magic to condense the moons into a ball, making it float in her hand. "We got everything we can get. We have to go to the ship and deposit these moons before it's too late!"

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's move now!" Ordered Zero Suit Samus.

The three trophies ran over to the Comet Observatory. On their way there, they could see asteroids the size of trucks heading towards the moon, seeing this, they quicken their already fast pace. Sweating and panting all the way until they reached the core, where everyone else was waiting for them.

"We gathered all the moons we could get our hands on, what do we do now?" Said Snake.

"We have to deposit our fuel into the core! Allow me to do the work." Rosalina used her magic to merge all of the moons that everyone has scavenged, into a mega moon. With the manipulation of gravity, she tossed it into the glowing sphere. Upon doing so, the red ball had quadrupled in size; its color now turned a shiny blue.

The princess had gone over to the computer, using her wand to access the controls. "We have enough fuel for takeoff! I'm going to start the ship now!"

With a flick of her wand, the engine roared to life. All of the Veterans could feel the ground vibrating under their feet. Indicating their salvation is just around the corner.

"Here we go! 3! 2! 1! LIFT OFF!" Shouted Rosalina as the ship propelled of into the sky, barely missing the large asteroid that struck the spot the ship was previous resting at.

Within a couple of seconds, the Comet Observatory glowed with power, shooting off with light-speed at the Smasher's planet. Leaving the meteor storm to bite it's dust.


	33. Chapter 33: A Taste of Knowledge

**Chapter 33: A Taste of Knowledge**

"What now?" Gunner said to her friends-looking over the blonde's shoulder. After defeating the second boss, Swordfighter directed the scuba diver to go further down, swimming for what seemed like a long time. The trio thought that trench was truly endless. Just when doubt began to set in, the swimmer finally managed to reach the bottom.

Brawler was sitting on the bed, throwing a tennis ball at a wall and letting it bounce back to him before throwing it again. "The game said to find a treasure, I also think it mentioned that it was in a chest."

"Oh yeah." The shooter murmured, now remembering the task they had to complete. "So just find this "chest" and we'll win?"

"No, there is one more boss in this game that has to be defeated." The sword wielder explained as he pointed to the door being guarded by holographic tentacles. "If we correspond the bosses I fought with the monsters guarding the door, then logically, the last bad guy should be an octopus of some sort."

"Squid, Sword. Squid." Interrupted Brawler, halting his ball throwing. "Octopuses have eight tentacles, this one has ten." He explained, pointing the slimy appendages guarding the door. "Only squids have ten tentacles."

"I'm surprised you know that Brawler, you don't seem like the kind of guy that wouldn't care to know any of that stuff." Sword playfully taunted.

He scowled. "I'm an asshole, not an idiot. This is common knowledge."

The blonde Mii ignored the comment and went back to the game. The diver was at the very bottom of the ocean: The background had faded into complete blackness; there were no fish or rocks in sight. The only thing that was visible to the player, was the man and the sand he was currently standing on.

The moment he moved the analog stick, a text box popped up. It read:

 **Congratulations! You reached the bottom!**

 **You can now use your map to find the location of the treasure chest!**

 **Use the Option Button to access it!**

Sword sat with his mouth agape "WE HAD A MAP?! Why didn't the game tell us sooner?!"

"Perhaps it wanted to get to a good starting point before we start mapping out the area?" Said Gunner.

"I doubt it." Replied Brawler. "That doesn't matter. We have something to go on. So let's use it."

The blonde pressed the option button, and another text box appeared. It was the map.

According to the map, the path to the supposed treasure was straight. All that the diver had to do was to swim all the way to the right until he reached the treasure.

"All we have to do is to swim in a straight line?" Questioned Gunner.

"Seems to be that way." Answered Swordfighter.

"It won't be that easy. Keep in mind we still have to deal with squid." Brawler reminded the two.

The female Mii sighed. "This is going to suck."

"It might suck, but it'll won't be forever. Once we beat this game, we'll notify the others on what to do with this game." Spoke Sword.

"Well actually it's the thing you touched earlier that caused this problem for us." Corrected Gunner. "So it's the crystal you should notify to the Smash Brothers. Not the game."

"Same thing." Retorted the blonde as he commanded the diver to swim east. The character only got several feet until another monstrous screech was heard. "Here comes the boss! Get ready!" Brawler said to Swordfighter.

"Don't worry, I got this."

To the left of the diver, long grey tentacles the size of trees extended from the darkness, slithering around the environment. One particular tentacle that Swordfighter noticed carried the skeletal remains of a fallen diver.

"Or maybe not." The blonde whispered to himself.

The tentacles was inching closer to the man, which compelled Gunner to speak up. "Sword! Run!"

The scuba diver swam away from the monster. Unfortunately, but not expected, it gave chase. The man moved his arms and flippers as fast as he can, but he was unable to evade the squid. The only thing the diver could do was to keep a safe distance away from the tentacles, and hoped he didn't get caught.

"Try using your gun on it." Suggested the female Mii, feeling nervous about the whole ordeal.

Sword listen to her advice and pressed in the buttons to make the diver stop in his tracks; firing a harpoon at the boss.

One of the tentacles caught the spear with ease, snapping the metal rod in half with its immense strength. The man dried to flee when he saw that his attack didn't work, but he was grabbed off his guard by another tentacle.

The flesh tendril pinned the man's arms to his waist as it beginning to squeeze the life out of the scuba diver. The player's health bar was decreasing—very slowly, but it was going down none the less.

"Damn it!" Yelled Brawler.

"It blocked it?!" Said Gunner.

Sword gritted his teeth with a combination of fear and frustration "We have so much health to spare! We can't afford any more damage!" The Mii frantically pressed buttons and control sticks, hoping to escape the beast of the sea. His actions payed off, thankfully; the diver slipped through the tentacle, escaping its grasp and getting away.

The diver got a second chance, if he failed again. He'll pay for it in the afterlife. The sword wielder kept that in mind as he commanded the character to move towards the end goal, keeping out of reach of the monster.

"Don't be stupid in attacking it. Swim over to the chest pronto!" Spat Brawler.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Retorted Sword, being very annoyed with the fist-fighter's constant attitude.

"Wait. Guys, what's that up ahead?" Pointed out the shooter.

Sword looked over to the right of the screen and was mildly upset. Far away from the diver, there were a variety of obstacles in his path: There were sunken ships, big rocks, deadly angler fish, and a variety of debris to try to prevent the man to reach the end of the game.

Knowing that he had no other choice but to suck up and endure, he pressed heavily on the control stick. The diver swam faster than usual, going towards the hurdles head on: He swam into a wrecked ship by using an open porthole, and exited by busting through a door; He avoid the trash that was floating near him, not even giving it a second though; finally he shot a harpoon into the eye of angler fish, killing it instantly. Looks like playing the game non-stop with no breaks in between has it benefits.

But the squid, hidden within the darkness, had a trick up its sleeve. The cephalopod winded up a tentacle, and lashed it out like a whip. Aiming for the diver.

The man managed to dodge the attack—at the cost of heading ramming straight into a boulder. Sword's mistake cost himself almost all of his HP, all that remained was little sliver in the health bar above. If he got hit one more time, no matter how little the damage may be. He'll be dead.

Knowing his fate hangs in the balance, the blade wielder held his breath; cancelling out the sound of his peers panicking of the situation at hand.

After minutes of swimming pass the obstacles and dodging the monster's moves. The trio saw a cave on the very end of the path, built into the foundation of bedrock. Inside the black hole was a bright light that shined the surrounding area. It was comforting to look at.

"Is that where the treasure is?!" Asked Gunner.

"I think so!" Replied Brawler. "Sword! Head for the cave!"

Swordfighter tapped the buttons furiously to go faster, in response, the boss lashed out more, swinging its tentacles to grasp the diver, almost succeeding. However the swimmer was successful in reaching the hole, getting inside with no effort.

The monster tried to enter to cave as well, but its form was too massive; it couldn't get inside. In a ditch effort it's slid it's appendages in the crevice, but the diver was too far in the tunnel for it to reach him.

Seeing that boss had failed, it left. It extracted its tendrils out of the cave a disappeared into the darkness. Like what happen that previously, the tentacles that were guarding the door had vanished, indicating that Swordfight was close to winning their freedom.

"We won!" Gunner cried with happiness, wrapping her arms around Sword and Brawler in a celebratory hug. "Now we can leave."

"It's not over yet." Said Brawler. "We've beat all the freaks this game has to over, but we still have to find that chest. I don't want to think what would happen if we bail now."

"No need to worry guys." Sword pointed to the screen. A golden treasure chest was placed on top of a hoard of coins and trinkets. "Victory is in reach."

The man swam towards the chest, standing right in front of it. The moment he put his hand on the lock. One final text box appeared on the screen:

 **Open the Chest?**

 **Yes? No?**

"What do you think the treasure is?" Said the female Mii.

"We're about to find out." Answered the blade-wielder as he pressed yes. The diver slowly put his hands on the top potion of the chunk and flipped it open. All of a sudden, Swordfighter's eyes turned white, emanating with light.

The blonde Newcomer held his head in pain, his brain trying to comprehend what's going on.

" _ **The katana is one of the sharpest blades out there, able to slice a leaf in half by it just simply failing on it." The samurai told his men. "So it's important that-"**_

 _ **The knight was in a fierce battle, going war against a rival kingdom. With all the training he learned, the warrior was able to slice up his enemies with the help of his double-edged sword, nothing could truly-**_

 _ **It was the grand finals, the two remaining sword fencers were playing against each other in front of a joyful crowd. Only one of them will win-**_

 _ **The pirate Mii was in the process of defending his captain from other devious pirates. Despite him being alone in his endeavor, he was doing pretty well. This was expected of course, his master taught him well.**_

Countless visions of people using their bladed weapons in different scenarios, times, and places exploded in his mind. When the hallucinations disappeared, Sword collapsed on his knees, panting very heavily on the ground.

"SWORD!" shrieked Gunner. She ran to his side and looped one of his arms of her shoulders; helping him on his feet.

"What the fu…Sword! What the hell was that?!" Brawler said. Feeling concern for his partner.

"Huh?" The blonde raised his head, trying to shake off the motion sickness the Newcomer was feeling right now.

"You didn't notice?! Your eyes glowed white and you didn't respond to us. It was like you were in a trance in some kind."

Sword was confused until he remembered what occurred a moment ago. "How long was I out of it?"

"Around ten seconds." Answered the Mii in orange. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Swordfighter carefully released her hand and took a couple steps forwards. He was looking at the room: All the holograms were now gone; including the game. The gem that started it all, had rested on the smooth wooden texture of the floor. The blade user picked up the blue and orange item into his hands; observing the sphere in fine detail before speaking to his friends. "I saw something. The crystal gave me…visions."

"Visions?" The black-haired Newcomer asked with disbelief. "You're not making sense at all. What do you mean by visions?"

"I don't know how to describe it. After I won that game, I…I." Sword stuttered in his words, he held tongue for another moment until he was ready to talk again. "I saw scenes in my head, from the past, I think-our past."

"You mean the history of the world we we're based from?" Questioned Gunner.

"Exactly." Answered the Smasher in blue. "There were people, all from different times, using swords. I saw the techniques and skills they displayed in my head. It felt like…wait, hold on. I need to see if…Hey, could you possibly stand back a couple of feet? I need to…Experiment."

Brawler and Gunner listened, and gave their pal some breathing room. Sword took out his blade from his sheathe, carefully gripping it in his fingers. He instant sliced the air around him; doing a series of stances and moves that amazed the new Newcomers watching him.

Sword finished by doing a backflip, landing on a chair. When he was done preforming, he put the blade back into the sheathe, and went over to his friends.

"Care to explain why you turned into a master ninja all of a sudden?" Said Brawler.

"The visions I saw earlier. I have a theory that this gem, gave me the knowledge of how to use a sword properly."

"It made you into the perfect blade-wielder?" Questioned the shooter.

"I don't think "perfect" is the right word. I know for a fact that I could do a lot more with my sword now than I did before, but I don't feel untouchable. If I had to go on a limb here, I would say the crystal molded me into the model swordsman."

"Let me see that." Spoke Brawler as he reached for the object.

"Wait! Brawler don't-" Interrupted Gunner but it was too late; the fist-fighter was already caressing the artifact in his gloves, he was surprised when he noted that the orange side of the sphere glowed faintly when he made contact with it. Unlike last time however, the stone didn't blind their eyes with light and forced them to play a game afterwards.

"You touched it…but it's not doing anything." Observed Gunner.

"Yes, it's very strange." Commented the fist-fighter as he stared at the round treasure. "Gunner, could you do me a favor and press your finger against the crystal?"

"What if it explodes?!"

"It didn't exploded when I did it. Can you stop talking and listen to my instructions already? I need to see this."

Gunner. Ignoring his attitude obeyed. Making physical contact with the artifact; lighting up the blue side as a result. "Is it broken?"

Swordfighter took the gem from both of their hands and rubbed it gently; the thin white line on the crystal ball failed to produce a sense of illumination. "I don't think so"

"What makes you say that?" Demanded the Newcomer wearing red.

"When I touched the sphere, I felt a source of energy run through my entire body before it blinded us. I didn't say anything about it sooner because we were panicking, not to mention I was busy with making sure the diver survived."

"You sensed energy within that stone?" Said Gunner.

"Yes, when I first touched it." Emphasized Sword. "It only lasted a second, but I definitely felt it."

"What are you getting now?" Asked Brawler.

"The stone I'm holding right now, it still has power." Sword spoke bluntly.

Gunner almost choked on her spit. "Still has power?!"

"And this is the part that is really shocking. **I thinks it's charging.** "


	34. Chapter 34: Crash Landing

**Chapter 34: Crash Landing**

 **Hey guys, back with another chapter. Let's read the responses.**

 **Lymeryk:** **Hey there Crystal Brick, just wanted to share some thoughts after reading through your entire story thus far.**

 **I'm on board for this concept. Opening with the Miis and discovering this mysterious new world through their eyes is an interesting approach, particularly when we then learn about this idea of the omniverse and how the smashers are all duplicate/alternate versions of themselves from their original worlds. I also really like how they set out on unique quests to find each of the newcomers, overcoming challenges both psychologically and physically along the way. Your original scenarios, dream sequences which hint at the Miis' backstory, creatures, and this elusive FW (whoever or whatever he/she/it turns out to be) certainly have me curious to see how it'll develop from here!**  
 **My only suggestion would be to do some revisions if possible; especially on the early chapters. Not that they're unreadable or anything, I just found them a little rough when it comes to grammar, describing action, and referring to characters by too many different nouns/pronouns. Other than that though, I don't have a criticism on the story itself because again, this whole premise and what you're doing with it is pretty cool!**  
 **Anyhow, I hope this helps! I'll be staying tuned, so carry right on!**

 **Cheers,**  
 **Lymeryk**

 **Well thanks Lymeryk, i'm glad you enjoy it, I saw what you meant, and i'll try to revise it when i finish this entire story. I'll keep what you said in mind.**

 **Anyway back to the fanfic**

* * *

Brawler and Gunner were frozen upon hearing Sword's revelation. The silence was finally shattered when the fist-fighter broke it. "Charging?! You mean it's storing up energy?"

"Exactly." Said Swordfighter, looking at the stone once more. "I know it's charging for a fact. Because, like I said, I felt the energy it was giving off. Right now the energy is weak, but eventually, it'll become fully charged again."

"You know all of this by just touching it?" Asked a perplexed Gunner.

"No. I…uh." Frowned the blonde, trying his best to describe the process without sounding too nonsensical. "It's the same reason why I thought playing the game would release us; it came to me…and it made sense."

"You couldn't understand that just by touch alone. Hmm… do you think that the stone was telepathically giving you information without you realizing it?"

Brawler was flabbergasted. "How the hell did you came to that conclusion?"

"I had a conversation with Mewtwo about his powers once." She respond in an unsure manner. "He told me one of his strongest psychic abilities was Telepathy; how he could transfer his thoughts and memories to others, how he could control someone's actions with only his mind. He was really strong."

"And this is related because you think the crystal is telepathic? That's quite a stretch, don't you think?"

"It's not that crazy. We've seen stuff way weirder than this."

The fist-fighter rolled his eyes and faced Swordfighter. "Do you really believe it's true?"

"I'm willing to believe anything at this point." Admitted the blonde Mii. "But I think we should be focusing on what could happen when this stone reaches maximum power."

"Can I see the stone?"

The blade-wielder gave Brawler the crystal; the orange side glowed in his hand as he observed the strange artifact. "Whenever I touch the sphere, it turns orange. Whenever Gunner touches the sphere, it turns blue. And when Sword touches it, nothing happens… I think I understand why it's charging."

"Well let's hear it out." Said Sword.

"This stone, is mostly likely a fusion between the gems we've collected over our journey: The white stone came from Sword, The blue stone came from Gunner, and the orange-red stone came from me."

"Yes, we all contributed to this… ball." Replied the shooter.

"When the sphere was fully powered, it created a prison for us, forcing one of us to play the game when Swordfighter touched it." Explained the black-haired Newcomer.

"Still can't believe it had so much energy stored up inside." Spoke the blade-wielder.

"Since the crystal is still functional, and since it doesn't react to blondey anymore. We can assume that this sphere, this mysterious treasure, will be still active for me and the shooter to touch when it's ready."

"You think the stone will be waiting for us to touch it?!" Blurted out Gunner.

"That has to be the case." Argued Brawler. "The sphere only reacts when both of us make physical contact with it. Sword already had his fair share." He gestured to himself and the girl he was pointing to.

"But… What would happen if we activate it when it's charged?"

"It'll most likely create a game for us to play; one for each of us."

"Oh, I'm not comfortable with this, we got to warn the others!" Gunner tried to grab the stone from Brawler's hand, but the fist-fighter jerked his arm away.

"What?! No! That's a stupid idea! We can't do that!" Declared Brawler.

"Why not?" Questioned Sword, raising an eyebrow as he folded his shoulders.

"We can still benefit from using the crystal ball." He said, showcasing the item he held in his hand.

"Benefit?! How-"

"All three of us have significantly different fighting styles in the art of Smashing. When you finished the game, you were suddenly granted knowledge of becoming a professional swordsman. Which resulted in you becoming a better Smasher." Explained Brawler. "I just know it in my bones, that if Gunner and I use it; she'll become a better shooter, and I'll become a better puncher.

"I admit, it does seem like a fantastic plan, but I think we should notify the rest of the Smashers before doing anything else."

"No." Said Brawler, standing his ground. "If we do that, they're just going to take it away from us. I can see it now, we'll ask why and they'll say: _Oh, this is for your own good, we don't yourselves getting hurt now. Believe us, we now what we're doing._ Ugh, disgusting. They would rather have us become sitting ducks rather than letting us protect ourselves? How the hell is that helping anyone?!"

"They don't want anyone else to get hurt!" Retorted Sword. "When Gunner got killed on her mission she-"

"-Got revived, got some hugs, and a god-damned juice box." Interrupted Brawler. "Don't you get it? If we can be brought back to life at a moment's notice, it makes death meaningless. They're just upset that failed in protecting their own, and now they're overreacting."

The fist-fighter took a couple of steps to the blade-wielder before continuing. "They'll get over their overprotective behavior eventually, but right now, we need to prepare ourselves for what's to come."

"And what's coming? If you don't mind me asking?" Gunner said in a polite tone.

The black-haired Mii rolled his eyes. "Things are getting more dangerous: Unstable society waiting to take over the world, fellow Newcomers and Veterans in hostile situations, and now, (Worst of all.) We go a master terrorist on the loose! He almost cause the ecological disaster of the century and helped armed that damned cyborg ant in that cyberpunk hellhole! " He faced the blonde again. "Do you see now? We got to do everything in our power to save this world, even if the others don't agree or understand what needs to be done. It'll be a shame if everything feel apart because someone didn't take the initiative. What do you say? Are you with me?"

As much as Sword didn't want to admit it; he had a point. For three weeks, he had seen tremendous threats come to fruition from within the WOT. Even if the Super Smash Brothers failed once in their mission, it could be the start of chaos. So reluctantly. He accepted. "Alright I'm in, but only because I don't see any other option."

"That's great!" Spoke the fist-fighter as he turned to the shooter. "Gunner?"

She felt awkward being in the spotlight, not sure on what to choose. "I don't know Brawler, I don't like the idea of hiding secrets from the people who took care of us. It just doesn't feel right."

"We won't hide the sphere from them forever." Brawler clarified. "After we all have a go with the gem, we'll just present this artifact to the Smashers. (Preferably Lucario or R.O.B.) We'll say we found this thing in our chest and it gave us knowledge on how to fight. Easy peasy."

"But what if-" She stopped talking when Brawler grabbed both of her hands in a quick but gentle motion.

"Gunner, please." He said a comforting tone. "Please go along with the plan. We got so much to lose in the future if we don't."

The shooter bit her lip, she didn't want to be secretive among her fellow fighter, but at the same time, she couldn't forgive herself if anything happen to them because she was weak. "Okay, I…I'm in."

"Good. Everyone's on board." Brawler said as he released her hands. "Let's keep the crystal in the chest, and hide it under one of the beds. Just to be sure no one would snoop around."

"That seems like a decent idea." Muttered Gunner.

"But hold on!" Uttered Sword. "Which bed are we going to use to-"

 _ ***CRASH!***_

A loud crash could be heard throughout the entire room, followed by an intense shaking that vibrated the entire room-it only lasted for a moment.

"What the-was that an earthquake?" Asked the girl.

"It didn't feel like an earthquake." Responded Brawler.

"We need to know what's going on, let's go!" Shouted the blonde.

The fist-fighter tossed the gem in the chest and closed it with haste, to which he tailed his team out of the door to gain insight of the situation. The trio kept running until they encountered the balcony where'd some of the trophies were staring out to the distance.

"What's happened?! We'd heard a crash!" Said Sword.

"Something big fell from the sky." Answered Wario.

"Yeah its looks like a giant spaceship." Ness pointed to the distance. "It crashed pretty hard, I'm amazed it's still intact."

Looking outwards towards the fields, a spiral like object could be seen sticking out of the ground; the only sign of damage were the large amount of smoke coming off it.

"Do you think there are still people inside?" Asked Link.

"Only one way to find out." Declared Wolf as he leaped of the railing to the dirt below, still in one piece. Wario, Link, and Ness chased after him to the direction of the U.F.O.

"Should we jump on after them?" Gunner questioned nervously.

"I think it's best if we used the stairs, come on!" He shouted as the three of them went back inside. By the time the trio exited out of the mansion's front doors, they could see that a majority of the Smash Brothers had gathered around the ship. Gunner, Sword, and Brawler quickened their paste until they finally came in contact with the group, getting past everybody to get front row seats of the source of chaos.

What they saw, surprised them to no end.

A princess wearing a blue dress and a yellow star climbed out of the wreckage, she appeared quite winded from the accident.

"Princess Rosalina?!" Mario shouted in surprise.

"Mario? Why are you here?" The blonde woman was very confused; what was going on.

Accompanying the Newcomer were Snake, Lucario, Pichu, Zero Suit Samus, Pit, and Diddy Kong; All of whom were climbing out of the ship.

The solider was the first to get off, he did a wonderful front flip as he landed on the cold grass below. He let himself collapse to his knees, panting heavily as he let the air seep into his lungs.

"I need…a cigarette."

* * *

" _-and there were, trying to fuel up the ship; asteroids coming downs from the heavens to smite us all. Just when everything seemed hopeless, her vehicle powered up, and we shot off straight to the WOT."_ Said Lucario, explaining their adventure as he was cutting up his steak with the knife.

After they interview the latest Newcomer, the Smash Brothers prepared dinner. Most of the Trophies were sitting at the dining table, enjoying a variety of foods; including Rosalina and Luma. The only fighter that wasn't present was R.O.B., still working at the lab like the workaholic that he is.

"That was a pretty intense Lucario, I'm just glad your team got out before things got ugly." Commented Pokémon Trainer as he took drink of bottled water. "That escape was pretty clean if you asked me."

"Well it wasn't completely clean." Spoke Sonic, pausing in his chewing of a chili dog. "They did crash land their spaceship in our front lawn."

"Oh that's right, how did that happen anyways?"

Snake groaned, not wanting to tell this part of the story. "The gravity pulled us in harder than we expected. We couldn't pilot the ship properly and we made a little crater into the valley. It's just a miracle no one got hurt."

"Yeah! Lady luck was on your side today. You guys were on a roll." Cheered Toon Link as he stood up in his chair.

"Toon Link, don't stand on the chair when it's dinnertime. It's rude." Zelda lectured.

"Sorry." Apologized the boy as he sat back down.

"I suppose we had a tremendous amount of luck on our mission, but we can't rely on probability alone." Reminded Zero Suit. "We have to more careful next time, perhaps we should do more training?"

"Ha!" Spat Brawler. "That's kind of ironic, since you guys banned us Newcomers from attending our sessions."

The atmosphere had soured slightly, everyone felt a bit uncomfortable to where this conversation was heading.

Lucario sighed. _"Brawler-"_

"Save it. I don't want to hear it." Interrupted the fist-fighter. "Arguing with you guys is like talking to a brick wall—accomplishes nothing. Hopefully when things get bad enough, everyone will come to their senses." He slurred, downing down a glass of vodka.

"Brawler, how much did you have?" Questioned Peach.

"I'm certainly not tipsy if that's what you're asking."

"I think you had enough." The princess was about to grab the bottle but he swiped it away.

"Oh no you don't!" The drunk Newcomer poured himself another drink as he stared deep into the royal's eyes, forgetting the fear she put in him two weeks ago. "You guys *HIC* took away the chance for me to improve myself. I'm not letting any of you take this too." The Mii was going to sip from the glass cup, but instead choose to drink from the bottle to the shock of the team.

" _Brawler! You not supposed to consume vodka in large volumes, but that bottle down!"_ Warned Mewtwo.

He ignored him. "Why should I? We're immortal aren't we? We are banished from death's presence. There's no point of it all. We're here to stay, till the world rots away. With no hope of seeing the other side. **What a joke!** "

Mewtwo rose up from his chair. _"Listen to me-"_

"Whhhyyyy do ya care?" Brawler's started to speak his words slowly and sloppily; indicating that the alcohol has taken effect. "I've seeeennnn the look on yar faceeeee. Yoooouuuuuuu hhhaaaatttteeee me. Despise mmeeeeee. Want me gonnnneee. So stop the actttttttt, it's not fooliiinngggg meeeeee. I'm going to driiinkkkk the damn thinggggg tillllll thhhhhheeee end of timmmmeee; and there'ssss nothing ya caannnn-"

" _I had enough to drink, I don't need anymore."_ Mewtwo spoke; his eyes glowing blue; raising his paw at the drunk's direction.

"I had enough to drink, I don't need anymore." Brawler said in a dull monotonous voice, giving the bottle back to Peach.

" _I need to rethink my life's choices."_

"I need to rethink my life's choices."

" _I'm feeling very tired, I need to rest."_

"I'm feeling very tired, I need to rest."

" _Now sleep."_ Commanded Mewtwo. Brawler immediately close his eyes, breaking the silence with his loud snoring. The psychic teleported to him and used his telekinesis on the body; lifting him up from into the air.

"What did you do to him?!" Demanded Gunner.

" _I push some suggestions into his mind, to make him stop. We wouldn't want him to become an angry alcoholic now would we?"_

"But why-ugh, was that really necessary-" Asked Swordfighter.

" _Yes, with his flaring personality, I doubt he would've give us the bottle under his free will. This was the cleanest option."_ Said Mewtwo. _"I'm sending the drunk back to his bed, I'll be back momentary."_ He stated to the Smashers dining around the table; teleporting himself and the unconscious Brawler out of sight.

"Does your friend in the red shirt, do this regularly?" Rosalina questioned Gunner.

"No, that was a first. I wonder why he's acting like this. It's not like him."

"Maybe he's one of those aggressive drunks?" Suggested Sword.

"Possibly, but I doubt that's the case." Answered Rosalina, the first time she spoke after leaving the interview room.

Lucario was taking note of her aura, she was feeling sad, a common emotion that most Smashers felt when the realized their true purpose. But there was also something else…happiness? She was at peace, why?

Before Lucario could ask the princess, Luma's stomach growled, which prompted the star to frown and whine incoherently to its guardian.

"Luma? What's wrong, are you alright?" Zelda asked the cosmic-creature.

"Oh, he's just hungry is all." Rosalina carried her child in her arms, doing her best to calm it down. "I suppose you don't have any star bits, do you?"

"What is that?" Said Link.

Mario spoke first. "Sorry Princess, but we a don't any of that a stuff here on the World of a Trophies."

Rosalina frowned at this development, she wasn't devastated; just very disappointed. "If you don't have star bits at hand, I'll have to find a substitute; do you happen to have foods containing large amounts of sugar on the premises?"

"Yes, we have a plenty of desserts and candy stored somewhere in the kitchen." Marth Elaborated. "Take as much as you need."

"Thank you." Said the princess. "Now my child won't go hungry for the night. I-"

"Wait! Hold on. Did you just say that Luma eats a food called: star bits?!" Spoke Samus.

The comic blonde blinked a couple of times before replying. "Well, yes. As I said earlier, Luma mainly consumes a substance known as star bits. They're basically-"

"A stars favorite snack…Oh my god that's it! The answer we've been looking for." The woman in the metallic suit exclaimed, her words confusing the majority of the dining Smashers.

"Pika pi?"

"Answer?"

"What is she talking about?"

The trophies were murmuring with themselves, whiles Fox got out of his chair. "Come on, let's go see R.O.B." The vulpine said to the bounty hunter, prompting the two to dash into a hallway, disappearing into the shadows.

"I'm going after them" Snake whispered to his blur companion, rising off from his seat.

" _I'll accompany you, just in case something happens. Excuse us, we'll be right back."_ The canine vocalized to the group, after which the two of them sprinted into the corridor. Perplexing the fighter's minds once more.

* * *

By the time Snake and Lucario entered R.O.B.'s domain, they saw Samus, Fox, and the Robot himself, all hunched over a computer. Oblivious to their presence.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Snake Asked. Gaining the attention of the three Smashers.

"I finally figured out the code for one of the boxes, specifically the white one." Replied Samus. "Remember what it said? What's a stars favorite snack? Luma consumes a food called star bits. It makes too much sense."

" _I see, so you thought that was answer, and you and Fox came running down here. Right?"_

"Pretty much." Said the leader of Star Fox.

" _Well, as much as I'm glad that we've might have finally found the code, I'm a bit weary how this FW would character, knows what Luma eats. There was no evidence of Rosalina's and Luma's existence in the WOT until today."_ Explained Lucario, feeling unnerved slightly.

"[Not necessarily.]" Interrupted R.O.B. "[It's not much, but there are some things in this realm that references Rosalina and Luma directly. Like her ship for example, floating in the void of space for god knows how long. Or the fact we have two games that features her somewhere in the game room. I believe they were called: Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 respectively.]"

" _But_ _ **how**_ _would he find out though? The ship would have been too far away to be seen from the planet, and we would've have noticed a break-in the game room. Either one of those possibilities seem very unlikely."_

"Maybe the answer to that question is inside the computer." Commented Samus.

"You really we should input the code?" Said Snake.

"We got nothing else to go on, this is the only thing that could lead us to FW. Besides, Zelda and R.O.B. did their scans on this computer with magic and data mining respectively. There is nothing dangerous about the program."

The solider moaned. "Fine, just enter it already, hopefully there is something of worth inside the files."

Samus turned her head towards the screen, pressing the enter key on the keyboard. Almost immediately, the screen started to glitch out; displaying distorted pixels and negative colors on the screen.

"What the hell!" Shouted Snake, voicing the popular opinion of what the other Smashers were thinking about. They certainly did not expect this.

A stream of 0's and 1's beamed out of the glass of the monitor, glowing a lively green that lit up the surrounding area. The numbers were gathering near a spot near the computer-right beside the mouse.

The code was converging into a shape that was long and slender, with a sharp spike on the end. When it stopped glowing, it was revealed that the digital energy had transform into… **a pencil.**

When the writing implement appeared, the screen ceased its malfunctions and went back to normal, starting back at the desktop. The fighter's jaws were dropped, shocked to see this spectacle take place in their line of work. The walls of silence was shook when the vulpine decided to speak. Beginning with an awkward comment.

"Well…um…Out of anything I could have imagined, I didn't expect that to happen."


	35. Chapter 35: Sitting by the Campfire

**Chapter 35: Sitting by the Campfire**

"What in the world?!" Chimed Snake. "A pencil? It produced a pencil?! Why?"

"Doesn't matter why, we should dispose of it as soon as possible." Said Samus, hovering her arm-cannon at the generated object. Just in case things go awry.

"What?! No! We can't do that!" Shouted Fox, grabbing the bounty hunter's weapon with his hand, moving it out of line with the writing implement. "This…pencil, may be important later in the future. This is here for a reason after all, do you really want to destroy it, knowing that?"

Samus lowered her cannon, looking of the side as she comes up with an answer. "Perhaps, but it could be a trap. We don't know if it's simply a pencil or something nefarious."

" _I don't think so."_ Commented Lucario. During Samus's and Fox's exchange, he took the liberty of viewing the thin wooden object with his aura sense. When he was done, he opened his eyes and talked. _"I scanned it, there's no malefic energy in sight. It's safe."_

"[And I'm not seeing anything that would make this pencil dangerous.]" Said R.O.B. as he analyzed the implement with his robotic visor. "All I see is an ordinary pencil."

"Bu-but why would FW put a pencil in his data files? As a matter of fact, how was he able to digitize something into binary code? It just doesn't compute at all!"

"[Transmuting matter in code huh, hmm.]" R.O.B. muttered as he moved towards the computer screen, tapping his metal chin in thought. "[There's two explanations for that: It's possible that this FW character is a more brilliant inventor than we thought. He could have discovered a way to digitize matter. If that's the case I'm going to have to take second look at that chip. It's unlikely I missed anything on the first examination, but there's no harm in doing it again. There is a small chance I might find the trick to how this works.]"

"And what's the second explanation?" Asked the vulpine.

"[Magic.]" R.O.B. plainly said.

"Ugh, it's almost always magic. Kind of an annoying cliché around here to be honest." Grunted Snake, tempting to take out his cigarette to smoke it, but he restrained himself from doing so.

"[As for the pencil…I don't think I'll be able to help you there any further. I didn't detect anything out of the ordinary.]"

Samus sighed, shaking her head side to side. "Fine, we won't destroy it…for now. If we're going to keep the pencil, we need to secure it somewhere safe."

"Easy, just use the vault. It's pretty hard to break in there, that's where I'd put it." Suggested the solider.

"[That's a good idea, but before we do that, there is something that must be said.]" Spoke R.O.B. as he turned his body to Snake and Lucario. "[Do you two remember when you told me that the beam on the moon was gone?]"

" _Yes, it was quite shocking. I don't understand why it even happened in the first place."_ Responded the jackal.

"[Well I do. I told you that I sent a team to the lighthouse to investigate. Do you know what they found?]"

The two didn't speak at all, they were listing at R.O.B.'s words.

"[The lightbulb was missing.]"

Everyone held their breath, they couldn't believe what was coming out of the robot's mouth. "Missing?!" Cried Samus.

"[You hear me right. It's gone.]" Confirmed R.O.B. "[And there's a high chance it was stolen.]"

"Stolen? By FW?" Replied the fox.

"[It's possible, but it could also be someone else. I really don't know.]"

"What should we do in the meantime? Should we tell the others about our findings?" Questioned the armored woman.

"[Yes, but not at this moment.]" Affirmed the Veteran. "[I still need to examine the evidence before we tell them. Don't want to give them false information. I should get all the answers tonight. We'll tell everyone tomorrow when we get all the Smasher's gathered up. For the meantime, take a break. I handle the program. Just make sure the pencil is in the vault before you hit the covers.]"

"Okay, R.O.B. we'll go now. Just make sure you get some rest too." Said Fox as the rest of the Smashers left.

"[For the last time, I'm a robot. I don't sleep!]" Hollered R.O.B. as the door closed shut.

* * *

It's been a couple of days since the recent arrival of the latest Newcomer, Rosalina, Even though she's new, she proved to be very popular around the Veterans, due to her looks, personality, and wonderful tales she would tell from time to time.

It was a late Wednesday. The sky was filled with stars, nebulas, planets, and all sorts of astronomical objects; it was like a starry blanket had wrapped around the planet, engulfing the WOT with its magnificent presence. On this particular night, Mario suggested to the Smashers, that they all should throw a picnic outside of the mansion. The idea was unanimously agreed upon, and they began to prepare. The field was scattered with fighters; some of them were running through the field (More particularly the kids.); so we're relaxing by the fire, cooking and eating their food; and some like Sword, Brawler, and Gunner, we're listening to the stories told from other trophies; specifically the adventures of other Smashers from their own individual worlds.

"So what happened after you pulled the last needle?" Asked the blonde blade-wielder.

Lucas smiled when he heard the question. "After I pulled it, everything went back to normal, everyone had a happy ending." After realizing what he said, his grin faltered a bit. "Well, almost everybody."

Falco sat dumbfounded until what the psychic was insinuating. "Oh…right. Lucas, I just want to say-"

"No need to apologize Falco." Said Lucas. "It happened a long time ago, even though I'm sadden to what…happened to them. I know they are looking down upon me from the heavens. I'm so glad I raised with best mother and brother in the world." The boy said to the circle of fighters.

"You enjoying this guys?" Sword whispered to his friends.

"It's interesting I'd admit. I didn't knew that all of us came from such diverse backgrounds." Admitted Brawler.

"Oh…uh, its fine I suppose." Muttered Gunner, looking off to the side, not looking anyone in the eye directly.

"If it was fine, you wouldn't be sulking every damn time some else speaks." Said the fist-fighter.

"Brawler, hush." Sword commanded to the black-haired Mii before turning to the shooter. "Gunner, what's with the sad expression? You been acting like that ever since we joined the circle."

Gunner bit her lip, breathing out two breaths of warm air into the freezing night before responding to that dreadful question. "When the Smashers, told their heroic tales. The deeds they committed in their past lives. I've realized why we've never really completely fit into the mansion."

"Fit in the mansion? You mean are struggles of adapting the lifestyle and culture of the Super Smash Brothers? Why you say that?" Questioned Brawler as he raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone here has something to add to their character: Mario is a plumber who saves the princess from being kidnapped, Ness saved his world from been swallowed whole by some formless monsters, Mr. Game & Watch was a productive member of his society. Even the villains got stuff worth talking about. But us three? There is nothing remarkable about any of us. We didn't do anything that granted us being reincarnated into this place. We don't add anything to the team. We're just…hanging around. I don't think we can even compare ourselves to the others."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Sword said solemnly "We are lagging behind the Veterans and fellow Newcomers. It's not even a completion, they out-match us. It feel like we're dead weight."

"Now that's not true!" Spoke a voice outside the trio, based on the pitch, it was most likely Lucas. The Miis broke eye-contact with one another and looked towards the circle-who were staring at them.

"Overheard our conversation, did we? That's very rude you know." Said Brawler.

"When did you ever care of being polite?" Asked Link.

"Fair point." Acknowledge the fist-fighter. "Anyway, you were saying blondey?" Brawler questioned to the psychic.

"It's not true, you aren't a detriment to the team." Reaffirmed Lucas. "Sure, you may be…good as fighting as the others, but that's fine. No one is perfect when they start out."

"The kids right. When I started my journey, I was a simple 10 year old living with my mom." Spoke the Pokémon Trainer as he petted Squirte on the head. "It took a lot of will and sweat, but eventually…I became the one of the best trainers in all of Kanto."

"Yes, there is some truth in practicing to make yourself better, but…we're not like you guys." Gunner reasoned. "All the fighters here had been through trials and errors, that had adventures that tested their very existence; and they became heroes of their individual universes. But us three? We're not special, we haven't done anything that would classify us as heroes. We just nobodies."

"Are you saying that because you don't believe you deserve everything good that's been happening to you in that last 4 weeks?" Said Ike.

Gunner looked away from the crowd, not wanting to see their faces. "Yes."

Sword sighed in defeat. "Maybe a little bit."

"Nope." Brawler said as he crossed his arms.

"Well stop it, you aren't going to gain anything with that line of thinking." Ike continued. "Look, just because you came from nothing (supposedly), does not mean you're going to be nothing forever. Most of us we're simple people before our adventures and we came out on top. The past is a reference point. Your history does not determine if you're good or not, it's what you decide to do in the future, that determines your character."

"*Beep boop beep boop boop beep beep booob beeeeep.*" Exclaimed Mr. Game & Watch.

"Uh…what did he say?" Asked Swordfighter.

"He said that you a may have an awesome background a after all! You just a may not be remember is all!" Said Luigi.

"I guess that make sense, thanks for saying that, it really helped."

"No problem." Replied Falco. "Now since that's done and over with, do you guys want to hear how I kicked the asses of Star Wolf with a single missile?"

The circle erupted in "Yeses" and "Do tells". Which prompted the bird to speak of his experience.

"Oh this ought to be good!" Shouted Brawler, as he opened up his fourth can of beer.

* * *

The mayor and the fitness trainer were carrying bunches of sticks and dried leaves, walking over to the child android, the star, and the space princess who were sitting by a pile of logs.

"That should do it!" Said Villager, as he and Wii Fit tossed the firewood into the pit. "Now all we need to do is light it up."

"But how are going to do that? We don't have any lighter on hand." Asked the trainer.

The boy was tapping on his chin for a solution, until a light bulb went on in his noggin. ""We can create fire the old fashion way!" Exclaimed the Smasher as he grabbed a stick of the ground. "If I can spin the stick at a certain speed, I can cause the wood the burn via friction, then-"

"Or I can just blast the wood with my flame weapon." Spoke Mega Man as he generate a small stream of fire onto the pit, causing it to burn.

"Or you can blast the wood with your flame weapon." The mayor sighed in defeat as he tossed the stick away.

"We know that we have a source of heat, I guess we can start by making s'mores." Rosalina stated as she opened the marshmallow bag with her hands. "I got the chocolates and crackers ready too."

Luma cheered on, as each Newcomers took the spongy white cylinders of sugar onto metal pokers. Hovering their snack over the flames.

 _Well almost everyone._

"Uh…Wii Fit?"

"Yes, Villager?"

"Why are you roasting a carrot over the fire pit?"

The yoga trainer looked down at her stick to see an orange vegetable getting cooked under the intense heat of the campfire. "I'm skipping out on the marshmallows, I'm having a healthy alternative instead."

"But…carrots?" Said Villager.

"They very good for the body; helps with strengthening your eyesight." Justified Wii Fit. "Because, I don't want to risk gain weight because I wanted to eat something chock full of sugar."

"But our forms don't change." Argued the child. "We'll stay like this forever. I mean we can't get injured so I doubt that our weight will increase if-"

"Villager, if she wants to eat a carrot, then let her eat a carrot." Spoke Mega Man.

The mayor shrugged his shoulder as he, Luma, and Wii Fit were preoccupied on warming up their meals. Mega Man let his eyes wander until he found Rosalina gazing off to the many constellations in the sky. She was so distracted, she didn't notice she extended her marshmallow too far into the fire; it was quickly getting burnt.

"Rosa, you're marshmallow is getting charred." Warned the android.

"Huh? OH!" Cried the princess; blowing hard on the burning end of her stick in an attempt to save her snack. After she was done, she inspected the food. "It's burnt all around, but it should be still edible. Thanks for warning me, Rock."

"Got things on your mind?" Asked Mega Man.

"I got some lone thoughts dancing on my brain, why'd you ask?"

"Your head was pointed towards the sky. You had this look on your face, the kind of look you make when you're trying to recollect." Answered the robotic boy.

Rosalina closed her eyes, the light of the fire shining on her face like the rise of the sun. "I was think about my home; the children I raised back on my ship."

The tone slightly soured after she said that, the Newcomers not expecting her to talk about her personal life so easily.

Villager tilted his head. "Children?"

"The Lumas" Rosalina gestured to the star sitting beside her.

"That's right, the species of the star." Wii Fit muttered to herself before making eye contact with Rosa. "I'm sorry for what happened, I can't imagine how much you miss them."

"Yes, it' saddening that I'm separated from them. How it's most likely I won't meet them in person anymore. I'm disheartened." Sighed the princess, before giving a faint smile. "But at the same time, I'm happy. I already made my peace with the universe."

"You're happy that you've been separated from your children?" Rock questioned in shock.

"Of course not. If I had it any other way, I would have stayed with the Lumas." Explained the female Newcomer. "The reason why I'm somewhat happy, is because I know their safe."

"What makes you think their safe?" Said the trainer, taking her carrot out of the fire.

"Remember what we've been taught? We're not ourselves, we're clones. Our original selves are back in their respective worlds. Including my own." The princess began to press the marshmallow between two crackers and a piece of chocolate. "And I know that the original Rosalina would protect her family, no matter the costs. They're in good hands. Not to mention the fact I'm not alone here after all, a little piece of them came with me." Rosa answered as she petted the Luma.

"And that's the reason you're happy?" Mega Man said; taking out his marshmallow from the pit.

"No. There is one more reason." She continued. "I honestly think, eventually, I will be able to see them again."

"Didn't you say that it unlikely you would see them in person again?" Questioned Villager, finishing his s'more.

"Yes, **in person** **.** We can't cross to other realms physically, but that doesn't mean the path is closed for good. I believe someday, somehow, I'll see my children once more."

"You know this for fact?" Spoke Wii Fit.

"No, it's a feeling. Just a feeling." Rosa said softly before grinning to the Newcomers. "But never mind that, now's the time to relax our bodies and minds." She took her s'more and presented it to the Smashers. "Let's touch our snacks together and call it toast."

The other fighters were more than happy to oblige as they pressed their s'mores (and carrot) together. Eating their delicious meal with satisfaction as they listen to the crackling of embers

* * *

Snake, Lucario, Mario, Samus, Fox, Mewtwo, and Marth were waiting by the steps of the front door of the mansion; they either stood up against the metal railing, or sat on the white stone.

"How long till he get's here? We don't have all night." Grunted Snake; tapping his utility belt impatiently.

"He'll a get here when he a get's here Snake. Let him a take he's a time!" Said the plumber in red.

The front doors open slowly enough for it creak. The fighters turned around, a saw the robot in the (metallic) flesh. "[Sorry, I had to make sure that the tests were absolutely correct.]"

"It's okay R.O.B." Spoke Marth. "So what did you find?"

"[Well it not your normal computer program that's for sure." Explained the robot. "There's a quite a bit of information, I don't know where to begin.]"

" _Let's start with it's components, more specifically it's make. Is it purely made out of data, or is there a magic influence of some kind?"_ Asked Mewtwo.

"[The main structure of program was definitely made with binary code, but there are small traces of magic in the core of the software.]"

"Magic. Who ever could have guessed?" Snake sarcastically said. "Did you have Zelda do her thing on it?"

"[Already had, she couldn't make heads of tails of it; this magic was completely foreign to her.]" Explained R.O.B. "[She couldn't interact with it; she couldn't even make the energy budge one bit. Whatever this magic is, it's resilient, and it's powerful.]"

"This is the first time magic has been used in FW's inventions; could our guy also be a magic user?" Pondered Fox.

" _Hopefully we'll know in due time."_ Lucario commented. _"How about the three colored boxes, have you figured out how they work?"_

"[I data-mined it; the only thing I uncovered about the text boxes were that they we're on some kind of timer.]" Answered the Veteran. "[The red box in particular is scheduled to be activated sometime next week.]"

"The time of the next Newcoming." Said the solider.

"Is it a possible, that he has a something planned next a time?" whispered Mario.

"I'm willing to bet my life on it." Affirmed Samus. "One last thing R.O.B., has the pencil shown any new changes?"

"[No, it relatively stayed the same when we had it under our possession. I should know. I made daily checks on that object, but the results are the same.]"

"Still don't understand why I gave us a pencil, just doesn't make sense." Fox shook his head. "Anyway, we should tell the others about this. They need to know what's going on."

"Should we a wait till the night is over?" Asked Mario.

"It's best to do it now, just to get it out of the way." Said Snake. "So who should break the news?"

" _I'll do it."_ Answered teleported to the field where everyone was hanging out. When he materialized, he communicated with everyone with his Telepathy. _"Attention everyone!"_

All of the trophies turned towards him, wondering what the Pokémon had to say. _"Sorry to disturb you from your activities. But I got an announcement to make."_

"Is it about how much off an asshole you are?" Hollered Brawler.

" _Quiet you miserable man.."_ Seethed Mewtwo before continuing. _"No, I'm here to tell you we found more info about FW."_

The crowd opened the eyes with awe, as the psychic told them all about their findings, they couldn't believe what was happening, but unbeknownst to them. This is just a taste of what's to come.


	36. Chapter 36: Can't Play it Safe Forever

**Chapter 36: Can't Play it Safe Forever**

"Couldn't they switched the candles with, oh I don't know... light bulbs and electricity?! I mean this pretty stupid! The flame could go out and all of our work would be worthless!"

"Those are not ordinary candles, Brawler." Said Zelda, "I enchanted them so they wouldn't go out. They are brighter than a simple light bulb not to mention they don't use power, so we're saying energy. Just keep doing your work and you and your friends can be done."

In the foyer of the mansion, a length repair was going on: The chandelier had crashed to the ground after Donkey Kong decided to take a swing on it, (don't ask.) after that they had to install another one. First, Olimar, Toon Link, Villager, and Kirby assisted by getting rid of the metal scrap off the floor; then Ganondorf and Bowser pulled the new chandelier with the help of a pulley system; finally, Brawler got the ladder, screwed in the screws, lit the candles shortly after he placed them; with Zelda, Swordfighter, and Gunner unpacking new candles from cardboard boxes just in case they need more.

"Why did I decide to do this *# $?" Muttered Brawler.

"It's not that bad, son!" Olimar called from the floor below. "You got the easy job, I'm stuck with clean-up. You can't even imagine how heavy this scrap is."

"Yeah Brawler, quit your whining. You're making a big deal out of nothing!" Shouted Toon Link.

"Whatever." The fist-fighter rolled his eyes as he placed the final candle in its place holder. "Zelda! I'm almost done, just got to light up this one, and I'm finished."

However, before he can get his match out. Kirby-who had been tasked with sweeping the rug with a broom. Accidentally bumped into the ladder, tipping it over. Brawler barely gripped onto the chandelier as the ladder fell to the ground-his body dangling 3 stories from the floor as he held on to dear life.

"BRAWLER!" Exclaimed Gunner.

"What the hell?!" Sword stopped his unpacking to see his friend in danger.

"AHH! KIRBY, YOU PINK BITCH! WHY THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" Brawler yelled at the hero of Dreamland. He was mighty pissed.

"Oh this not good, how do we get him down?" Zelda tense nervously under the immense pressure of the situation.

"I have an idea!" Said Villager, pulling out a butterfly net out of nowhere. "Brawler, let go! I'll catch you!"

"YOU'RE NOT CATCHING ME WITH A #$ &% NET!" Brawler's voice echoed throughout the foyer, his anger only outmatch by his stubbornness.

"But how else can we get you down?"

"Oh, I don't know…HOW ABOUT USING THAT DAMN LADDER THAT JUST FELL JUST NOW!"

"I don't think that's possible." Interrupted Ganondorf.

"Huh? Why not." Asked Bowser.

The evil lord pointed to the ladder on the ground, it had broken into several pieces when it hit the rug; apparently it was much weaker than it looked.

"Oh, dammit no…" Brawler groaned when he realized that the option was no longer available. He wondered how he would get down, until he remembered his training. "Okay, I have a plan. I'm going to let go and land on the floor."

Zelda was really surprised to hear that idea, never thought he had the courage to do it. "You really want to go through with that?"

"Why not? We can't get harmed with fall damage." Reasoned the fist-fighter.

"Yes, that's true, but if you don't land the right way, there could be complications-"

Brawler didn't want to continue to list to the princess, he'd just about had it with the Veterans and their "Playing it safe attitude. He'll show them how wrong they are.

The Mii let go of the chandelier, allowing gravity to take control of his body. He heard gasps and shouts calling his name, but he didn't really didn't pay attention to that. Right when he was about to hit the floor, he activated a double jump in mid-air- canceling the momentum as the fighter did a front flip on the ground. A perfect landing. "See?...No problem."

The trophies formed a circle around Brawler, voicing their opinions.

"Wow! That was cool Brawler." Said Villager

"Got to admit, that was somewhat interesting." Admitted Bowser.

"You're not hurt are you, should we call Dr. Mario?" Blurted Gunner, looking exceedingly worried.

"Quit panicking Gun, I'm fine." Replied Brawler, as he cracked his neck. "Or at least I would be fine if a certain klutz didn't try to hurt me!" Brawler starred at Kirby who gave out a sheepish grin in return.

"Well good thing nothing happened, thankfully." Sighed Zelda.

"Happened? Did we miss something?" Said a noble voice, everyone turned around to see: Marth, Mewtwo, Wolf, and Wario standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey guys!" Spoke Sword. "We were finishing up setting up the chandelier. Took a lot of work, but we managed to complete it."

"That's good to hear, I assume there wasn't any complications?" Asked the prince.

Every time Brawler saw Mewtwo's face, he couldn't help but to feel angry. But since living in the mansion, he managed to maintain his rage to a sizzling disgust. He doesn't lash out at the Pokémon too often, but he occasionally yells and shout at him from time to time. Hopefully right now wasn't one of those times. He just wanted to get work over with, and sleep in. He thought of some words to get the advisor of their backs.

"Not really happened, we just-"

"Oh! Brawler was using the ladder to fix the chandelier, and Kirby knocked it down. It was pretty crazy to see him hanging onto the fixture." Answered Villager.

Why did he say that? WHY THE HELL DID HE SAY THAT? Did he secretly hate him or was he just obvious? Perhaps there was a reason Brawler hated the kid in the first place.

Marth's eyelids went up spontaneously "He was hanging onto the chandelier?!"

The fist-fighter shook his head in annoyance. "It was no big deal, I let go and activated a double jump before I landed. No harm done."

"Why didn't you just waited for help? It would have been easy for-"

"There was no way in hell I'm going to hold my breath and wait for a rescue, Marth." Brawler harshly interrupted. "By that time by grip would had slipped, I took the best way out and made contact with the ground just fine."

"But what if-"

" _At ease Marth."_ The Pokémon's telepathic voice echoed through their heads. _"Our friend here is alright as you can see, isn't that right, Brawler."_ Mewtwo spoke in a way that confused the fist-fighter, he couldn't tell if he was congratulating him, or taunting him.

Knowing what type of person he was, the Mii went with the latter option. "I can pull my weight, I'm not weak."

" _You're not weak in the flesh, your mind however is a whole different deal."_ Mewtwo starred in his adversary's eyes, waiting for the next response.

"Well maybe if you all had actually tried to help us adapt to this world, we wouldn't be a burden to the team!"

His outburst vibrated across the room, drawing the Smashers in to listen more intently.

"Guys come on let's-"

"No, let them." Said Zelda, holding Gunner's hand to stop her pleas.

"You mean yourself and the Newcomers? That's not true, none of you are a burden to the team."

"Yeah, for the moment!" Retorted Brawler. "There will be a time when we have to go out there to learn and survive. I know you want to handle us with kid gloves, but you can't play it safe forever. Sometimes the safe option isn't always the best option."

"How much you want to bet they're going to beat each other up?" Whispered Wario.

"Er, I say it's a fifty-fifty chance." Answered Wolf.

" _I understand your misgivings, and I agree with you. But I must comply with the vote of the majority."_

"Oh pah-lease! We both know you're not the type of guy to just accept things with no question!" Brawler argued to Mewtwo. "Now that I have think about it, why didn't you go tell them off on how stupid the "majority" are? You're one of the most experienced and powerfully Smashers around here, you were here since the Melee era for crying out loud! Why stay put?"

" _I'd admit. Putting aside my pride is not something I relish. But I'm willing to go that if we're going to maintain the peace, and order around here."_

"So there's nothing I could do, to convince them?"

" _I highly doubt it."_

"My god…" Brawler face palmed, pressing his hand hard against his forehead. "Even when the answer is right in front of you, you still don't get the message. You and that damn jackal are hopeless."

Before Mewtwo had the chance to retort to the fist-fighter's disrespectful remark. Wolf's communicator buzzed, emitting a loud beeping sound that emanated throughout the entire room.

"What is it?" Asked Marth.

The canine looked at his device. "The next Newcoming; its here."

"Oh!" The prince exclaimed with the utmost of surprise. "We have to get over to the command center!"

" _I handle it, I'll use teleport."_ Mewtwo looked back at the fist-fighter _"Don't call us hopeless, we've been through so much that you couldn't even comprehend. You know nothing."_ With that, the two fighters vanished in a flash of energy, nowhere to be seen.

"I'll call you whatever I damn like!" Spat the Brawler, insulting the spot that the Pokémon was standing before. He went over to the ladder and positioned it right next to the chandelier. The group looked at him dumbfounded. "What? I'm not going to leave a job unfinished. Pick up the paste and let's finish this already!"

* * *

Mewtwo and Marth appeared in a flash inside the command center, getting the attention of Lucario, Snake, R.O.B., Fox, Samus, Mario, Wii Fit, Meta Knight and King Dedede.

"Came here the moment we got the message." The prince stood straight to demonstrate his assertiveness. "So where's it's pinpointing to?"

"[Right here.]" The robot pressed a button on a keyboard, making the main computer to display the world map. The particular red dot that they were all excited about, was located somewhere in Onett.

"Ness's home town?" Spoke Snake.

"[That's not all.]" R.O.B. turned around. "[We know where the Newcomer is at specifically; Jack's Casino.]"

The fighters grunted and cringed, not out of fear, but out of annoyance.

Well, except the penguin.

"What's wrong with Jack's Casino? The last time I was there, they had wide assortment of medicine, food, and candy…oh the candy." The king salivated over the memory of chugging down several candy bars down his gullet.

"You're thinking of the **drug store**." Samus emphasized. "We're talking about a casino, something completely different."

"So? Isn't just an ordinary casino?"

"Dedede, you should know that nothing is ordinary around here. Normal is practically fantasy." Meta rubbed his temples out of utter disbelief.

" _Based on your reaction, I'm guessing you're not familiar with Jack's Casino?"_

"Nope." The penguin said to Lucario.

" _Well if you must know, Jack's Casino is a gambling establishment that appeared after the Subspace incident. This casino is not native to Onett; it appeared right out of the blue on day, and I don't mean it was suddenly built. It literally materialized out of thin air."_

"[And that's not all!]" Spoke R.O.B. "[This casino was named, and run by an entity known as Jack Grey; an undead skeleton in a fancy tuxedo.]"

"Undead skeleton?! Did he came from Tox Falls?" Questioned Wii Fit.

"[Yes, or so he claimed, he doesn't talk about his past much. He just boasts about how powerful he is.]"

"You made contact with him?" The trainer asked, wondering how a rabid skeleton could become the man of the house.

"Yes, several times." Marth said, answering the trainer's question. "The day we discovered the casino, we sent a team there to investigate, and they we're gladly invited in by Jack Grey. We learned from that visit that this casino (or at least Jack claims) is a multidimensional gateway to a pocket dimension somewhere in the Omniverse. Its purpose is to invite beings from all levels of reality; to play poker."

"WHHHAAA?" Screeched King Dedede. "That's insane! Wait, hold up! I thought nothing can get in or out of this realm?"

" _It can't."_ Said Mewtwo. _"The statement of the casino being multidimensional, is just that, a statement. We conducted tests under the permission of Jack himself, we found no evidence of his claims being true. If you ask me, I think he's lying."_

"So that would mean that Jack's Casino is native to the World of Trophies?" Wii Fit asked. "Hmm, I wonder if…"

"That doesn't matter right now, we need to send a team there to retrieve the Newcomer."

"Yes, the a team!" Mario spoke. "Who should a go to Onett?"

"[I already got that covered. I calculate this mission having a greater chance of success if Snake, Lucario, Wario, Wolf, Bowser, Ganondorf, and Meta Knight goes to the casino.]"

"R.O.B,, most of the fighters in this team are villains, why's that?" Ask Fox.

"[Jack Grey has a tendency to take a liking to people who lean more to their darker nature; don't ask he just does.]"

"Okay, but why Snake and Lucario? They're not bad guys." Said Wii Fit.

"The skeleton apparently respects Lucario and I." Said Snake. "I guess it's because of our indomitable will."

"Oh, can I come?" Asked Dedede.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Said Samus.

"Why not? I am a bad guy. I am perfect for this mission."

"Dedede, you are more goofy than evil." Samus replied bluntly. "The most wicked thing you ever did was steal food from your world. Jack would laugh his jaw off if you ever told him of your deeds."

"Awww." The king hung his head in shame as he watched the canine and the solider waving off the robot as they exited the door.


	37. Chapter 37: The Earth King

**Chapter 37: Death Combat!: The Earth King**

"God, that took so long than it needed to." Brawler was walking alongside with his friends to their room; popping his knuckles in annoyance.

"Well, you did wanted to finish the job once and for all. It's kind of your own doing." Said Swordfighter.

"Hey, I only steamed through it, because I knew if we didn't get it done, we'd have to do it later!"

"Guy's let's not fight. It's done and over with. Let's just forget about it." Gunner tried her best to dissuade the pair from bickering, she'd had enough of that when they were working together. "Can someone please remind me why we're going to our dorm right now?"

"We're checking on if the crystal ball is activate." Answered the fist-fighter. "Our little treasure is in our room, we all agreed on that. Remember?"

"Oh…yeah, we did that." Muttered the female Mii.

"Let's just hope this goes smoothly." Replied Swordfighter as he opened the door to their room. All three Newcomers piled up inside to find the chest but it wasn't in its usual spot.

"Um, where's the box? We didn't lose it did we?" Gunner spoke with worry.

"It's…oh that's right." Brawler walked over to his bed, and pulled the chest from underneath the bed frame. "I hid it under here for safe keeping."

The trio circled around the container. "Are you guys ready?" Asked the blade wielder. Gunner and Brawler nodded. "Alright, let's do it. Open it."

The black-haired fighter unlocked, and flipped over the lid of the chest. What they found confirmed their suspicions.

Or at the very least confirmed Brawler's suspicion.

"Guys, is glowing orange." Brawler said.

"I don't see it glowing." Replied Gunner. "This is what happened last time"

"That's because only one of us can see it at one time." Sword spoke in Gunner's ear. "I saw white last time, Brawler saw orange this time, and you'll probably see blue next time."

"Hmmm, I think I'm seeing a correlating to the colors we see and the gems we contributed to the creation of this…ball." Gunner gestured to the artifact. "Do you think it's possible we we're meant to get those gems? Like it was our destiny or something?"

"Don't fool yourself." Grunted Brawler. "The concept of destiny, is just some B.S. nonsense to make people feel like they're important. It's all just circumstance cupcake. Now let's get this show over with." The fist-fighter reached into the box, ready to touch the shiny sphere.

"Brawler, wait-" Gunner tried to prevent her friend from grabbing the object, but he'd ignored the girl's pleas.

The room was enveloped by an orange light; like déjà vu, holograms appeared all over the area: various punching bags, microphones, and boxing gloves hung from the ceiling, Shelves of trophies and ribbons were attached to the wall, and 4 figures in cloaks blocked the door-preventing their exit.

"Brawler what was that for?!" Sword yelled as his friend whiles the fist-fighter was searching the floor.

"We all agreed to all touch the stone and play the games it presented to each of us. Why are you complaining? You're not planning on backing out of the plan are you?"

Swordfighter shook his head. "Of course not! I'm just…oh god, why'd did you activate the gem immediately? We could have time to prepare-"

"For what?" Interrupted Brawler. "We can't escape from the room once this damn gem has been activated, we did everything; the exits has been cut off and electronic/verbal communication does not work outside of the room during the game. I should know because Gunner and I tried that. You're just jumpy that I took the initiative."

"Okay, maybe you have a point there, but you should have waited for us to agree with the activation before you touched it! I think me and Gunner here deserve an apology." Sword yelled in the Mii's face.

"You're right. I'm sorry you're such a whiny bitch." Brawler said to Sword.

"Listen here you brow-furrowed miserable grunt. I-"

"Please, you two! Don't fight!" Gunner went in between the Brawler and Swordfighter's space before things can escalate further. "Can we focus on completing the game at hand?"

Sword calm down, putting his hands at his sides. "Fine. Let's get this over with. Now where is that controller?"

"Found it." Brawler said, his head turned over to where the holographic screen was floating in mid-air. Below the screen, was the game controller; the device to their amusement, was completely made out of gold.

The fist-fighter walked over the controller and picked it up with his hand, as he caressed it with his fingers; he gave Swordfighter a nasty smirk. "Looks like mine's better that yours."

The Mii turned his attention to the screen, oblivious to fact that Gunner was holding the blade wielder back in order to prevent a deadly maiming from taking place. The title-Brawler thought-was interesting to say the least: **Death Battle: The Fight of the Elements.** It was called.

' _Let's hope this is better than Sword's trial, the scuba diver game was just plain tedious.'_ Thought Brawler as he pressed the start button.

The holographic screen showed a text box that amused the fist-fighter somewhat, it said:

 **You are Kung Fury, a man who had lost everything after he had been accused for a crime he didn't commit. In order to reclaim your reputation, you have to defeat the four elemental masters to gain ownership of the evidence that'll prove your innocence: The Earth King, the Water Princess, the Air Assassin, And the Fire Tyrant. Kill them all and you'll become victorious.**

Well the premise is certainly promising, after reviewing the control schemes, Brawler pressed start again, with all three Mii's gathering in front of the screen. The graphics, unlike last time, was a low polygon texture (Similar to the N64 and PS1 games they had in the game.) instead of 2D sprites.

A cut-scene of a fat man, wearing a suit and bowler hat grabbed the Mic that has hanging off from the ceiling. He was standing in front of a podium of some sort. "Hello everybody, are we ready for a show?"

The camera panned out to a large coliseum; there were hundreds if not thousands of people in rags and make-ship armor cheering on. Based on the setting, whatever event was taking place, it seemed to be illegal.

"I thought so! We got a lucky contender for tonight! He's has been through the fires of hell himself. Give your hands up for Kung Fury!"

On the left side of the arena, the gates opened to reveals a muscular man, with black hair, full on beard and mustache, with an eye patch covering his left eye. The attire he was wearing was that off a karate outfit, only it was tattered and ripped in certain places, implying he's been fighting for a long time.

"Good thing I'm not playing as some wimpy diver." Commented Brawler.

"Look on muscles on that guy! They're so huge!" Replied Gunner.

"Is this how you imagined yourself in the next ten years Brawler?" Joked Swordfighter.

"Get rid of the eye patch and the tattered clothes and I would say yes."

The announcer cleared his throat before speaking again. "And on this corner, we have the one who cannot be moved, the one who is richer than a 1000 emperors. Give it up for the EARTH KING!"

The right gate of the arena opened, and a slouched man came out of the shadows. A young adult, wearing: glasses, green robes, and sandals waved to the crowd. The king was annoying; (At least in Brawler's eyes) He was like the living embodiment of the nerd stereotype, giving out a dorky smile that made the trio cringe under his ugly gaze.

"NYA! Hello my subjects *snort* nice to meet you today!" The royal said in a nasally voice. "It's me! The *snort* the wonderful Earth Kinnnngggggg…Um, what's with the silence? Aren't you going to applause?"

The crowd stayed silent, sporting on dead-panned looks that match each of the Mii's expressions. "Oh, I get it! Let me sing you a song of my endeavors! Ohhh-OH!" The king took a breath in order to prepare for his song, but was taken aback when he felt a pain in his abdomen. "Oh! My hernia! This is the *snort* worst day ever."

"I'm going to murder this son of a bitch." Brawler said without hesitation or emotion.

"Oh dammit, not this crap again." The announcer sighed as he cover his eyes, remembering why he dreaded this moment. "Every time I swear to god…never mind." The man regained his bearings and grabbed the mic again "The battle begins in 3…2…1… FIGHT!"

The Earth King's lips grew outward, showcasing his crooked teeth as he laughed. "Now prepare vile scum! For you shall not survive my DUST STORM!" He raised his hands in his opponent's direction. Dust surrounded Kung Fury, swirling around him at a fast pace. When the attack ended, Kung's clothes was coated with brown stains.

"Ha! Take that! You're *snort* attire is dirty, you have no chance against me! Give up whiles you still can!"

"Brawler." Swordfighter spoke, not even turning his head from the screen. "You have the power to end this. Do it."

"Way ahead of you." Brawler leaned his thumb against the analogue stick, making Kung Fury speed towards his adversary in a meaningful sprint. Due to the Earth King being distracted by his own hysterical laughter. He couldn't avoid being grabbed by the throat from his enemy. The fighter lifted the master into the air, the royal cried tears of panic as he realized the situation at hand.

"No! Wait! PLLLEEEAAASSSSEEEE!"

Kung Fury ignored the royal's pleas. The fighter gritted his teeth in anger as he embedded his hand into the Earth King's abdomen.

"YEEAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Gunner and Sword looked away from the screen, feeling nauseous at the brutality; even the hardened scum sitting on their seats were horrified by what they seen.

"Did you… actually disembowel that guy?" the blade wielder asked closing his eyes.

"I'm holding onto his intestines, what do you think?" Brawler spat at his friend. "I took life at the balls, and ended this quickly like you said. What the hell's with your attitude?"

"Yes! Quickly. Not like this. It's too violent"

"Yeah, how could you do this against someone else?" Questioned the girl.

The fist-fighter rolled his eyes "I stated before I was going to murder this man, his whole character pisses me off just by thinking about him. Besides, this game is called: Death Battle for a reason. Mercy is not an option here." Kung Fury tossed the dead body to the side; the carcass of the Earth King still twitching.

"I get that, but why didn't you kill him painlessly? You could have snapped his neck or something!"

"Oh, give it a rest Gunner!" Brawler said to Gunner. "This is a video game, none of it's real. The rules of morality are much different in the virtually world than in real life."

"Hold on, I think something's happening." The blonde pointed to the body of the royal, ta yellow light was emanating from the corpse. The yellow glow flew from the Earth King and did circles around Kung Fury at a quick place. When it stopped above him, the light went downward entering the fighter's chest.

Fury eyes glowed yellow as clumps of rock were circling his hands, this only lasted for a moment till he got back to normal.

 **Congratulations! You collected the soul of the Earth King.**

 **This will allow you to gain the power of Geokinesis!**

 **You got one element, three more to go.**

The text box said to Brawler, to which the fist-fighter smiled in delight. _'So that geek was useful after all. I will definitely make good use of the Earth than he ever did.'_

The announcer grabbed the Mic again, taking in a big breath before shouting. "Our winner is…KUNG FURY!"

The crowd hesitantly clapped for the karate man as he walked back towards his gate, he spit in the direction of the Earth King before heading inside, to which the screen turned to black.

"I don't think I like this Kung Fury character." Muttered Gunner.

"Well, I do!" Piped Brawler, he's like me, if I took a year's supply of steroids and ass-kicking lessons."

"Yeah, of course you'll like him." Sword rolled his eyes. "Brawler heads up, the screen is changing."

The trio looked at the game to see that Kung Fury was now inside a large cylinder-like cell, with various skeletons and punching bags placed around the floor.

The text box appeared again.

 **Now that you have some free time before you're transported to the next battle, care to hone your Geokinetic powers?**

 **Yes? No?**

"Is it even a choice? There's no way I'm passing up this!" Said Brawler as he pressed yes; allowing another text box to appear on how to create spikes from the ground. "Hey, whiles I'm practicing, can you guys care to get my beer?"

"Beer? You have beer in the room?" Asked Sword.

"Yes, I got it beforehand, I hid it under my bed."

"Why do you need beer?" Questioned Gunner.

"Because I need it." Brawler said annoyingly "Are you guys going to get it, or are you going to give me that dumb look?"

Sword growled under his breath as he and Gunner checked under Brawler's bed to see several packs of canned cheap beer. "Ugh, I can't believe that guy sometimes. I swear, he's been an asshole since the day I met him."

"I don't think it's that." Whispered the female Mii as she grabbed the alcohol. "I think Brawler is getting worst, emotionally speaking."

"What makes you say that?"

"I had a hunch that he had a dark side, even before when we came to the mansion I could just tell he had problems from within." Explained the girl. "But since last week, he has been expressing his stress onto others. Have you realized he's becoming more agitated and frustrated lately?"

"All the time." Huffed Sword. "He's been very pissed after the whole debacle with the training ban, and now's he's getting into alcohol. With the drug combined with his colorful personality, I just know that he'll get worst in the future."

"I know, it's sad to see. He's a pessimistic person by nature, and that's what's holding him down. Do you think we can help him to… get better or-"

"I don't think that's possible." The blonde shut down the idea. "I know him, he's not the type of guy who talks things out, especially when it comes to his personal feelings."

"Well then how do we make him less…uh intense?"

"What's the holdup guys? I'm halfway through the tutorial and you're still not here." Brawler spoke from across the room.

"We'll be there in a sec, just keep your pants on!" Sword hollered to the fist-fighter before speaking to Gunner again. "We'll discuss this later. Let's get the brute his buzz and deal with this another day."

Gunner nodded as they both walked to Brawler's position.

' _Let's hope for everyone at the mansion that he's is one of those happy drunks.'_ Thought Sword as he carried the six-pack in his warm hands, placing the drinks next to the angriest man on the planet.


	38. Chapter 38: Hesitation

**Chapter 38: Hesitation**

"So this is where Ness used to live." Bowser observed, the building were colors of the rainbow, trees and flowers were blooming all over the place as if Spring had just begun; the people were smiling and greeting each other on the street as they walked down the road. This would be a sight that most people would cherish. "What an abomination. I wish this place was less… stupid."

"Yes, this place is so tasteless." Stated Wolf. "It's too safe and childish. It feels like we're inside a kid's playset."

"Never mind that, I want to know how a world like this could spawn one of the most evil beings into the Omniverse!" Said Wario.

"Oh my god! Can you guys stop whining?!" Snake seethed as they crossed the street, throwing his cigarette at a car that was waiting at the stop-light. "You've been complaining for over 30 minutes."

"We're just voicing our _colorful_ opinions on this damn city!" Spat Wolf. "Lucario, how far are we?"

" _If we take a left at the next block and walk through the park. We'll be at the casino on time."_ Lucario explained as they came close the corner.

"Well let's hope it's just that! I don't want to walk any more than I have to." Wario said as he leaned against a shop window, unfortunately because of his weight he ended up shattering the glass into many pieces.

"Wario!" Meta Knight scolded at the fat Smasher. "You fool!"

"What? It was an accident." Wario justified, picking himself off the ground. "It's not my fault their windows are not sturdy enough."

"Shut your lips and keep to yourself." Gannon responded, not even looking to face the mustached man. "We don't want any more complications, like you."

Wario scowled at the dark king as he muttered obscenities and curses at the villain.

As they traveled across the grassy plain, with the scent of the flowers and the shade of passing trees giving them comfort. They final spotted their destination. The spectacular Jack's Casino.

Although their expectations were heavily subverted.

What stood in the middle of a murky pond-surrounded by dead leaves and fish, were a small size building; about the size of a tool shed. The roof was red as the color of blood, shining with gleam in the light of the sun. The wall was painted in the texture of playing cards: aces, kings, jacks, queens, and jokers seemingly eyed them as if they were alive. Everything was colorful except the door, which was completely black; out of everything in the shack, this door was the only thing that ominous.

On top of this tiny building was a neon sign that glowed brightly. Showcasing the words: _Jack's Casino._

"You know, every time I come here, I still can't get over how small it is." Piped up Wario. "I know it's bigger on the inside, but still."

"I still can't get over why Jack would put a casino into the middle of trash and dirty water. This is a casino he's running, why not place it in the city?" Questioned Wolf.

"Because he does, no use questioning it." Replied Snake.

Meta Knight took the communicator from Snake and activated it. "R.O.B., it's my group's honor to say we have arrived at the Casino. Over."

"[Great, this mission is going well so far.]" Said the robot over the com. "Are you inside yet?"

"No, we just arrived at the entrance, none of us have even stepped a foot in the door yet."

"[Well when you get inside, keep your eyes peered for anyone out of character-anyone that would like the Newcomer.]"

"I doubt it would be that easy." Bowser Said. "There are many strange characters inside that weird place, how do you plan to find the Newcomer by looks alone."

" _That's easy, me."_ Explained Lucario. _"My aura sight will allow us to detect our newbie. We shouldn't have any trouble."_

"Don't jinx our desired mission Lucario." Scolded Ganondorf as Lucario rolled his eyes.

"I don't think detection is a problem. I fear what would happen if the skeleton gets involve in our rescue." Said Snake.

"[Jack usually keeps to himself, but if he ever does that, you can resort to stoking his ego. That worked last time when Wario accidently barfed on his shoes.]"

"It was an accident! I didn't know there was cow tongue in my cheese garlic omelet!"

"And if he decides he doesn't want to play nice?" The wolf grunted.

The group felt highly uncomfortable, especially Snake, recounting on a certain incident that happened on during the Smasher's second diplomatic visit to the casino. One of the "multidimensional" players in the casino, had tried to cheat in a game of Texas Hold'em by bringing in a set of extra cards and hiding it under the table.

This unlucky player might have gone away with it too, if Jack himself wasn't monitoring the game. When he saw the cheating clear as day, when he saw his precious game being tampered with. The skeleton went berserk; his eyes produced blue flames hotter than the fires of hell itself, and went after the cheater for blood.

Jack chased the cheater until both of them went out of sight; going into the kitchen of the casino. The establishment chefs screamed for mercy, flinging their arms wildly as they scurried out of the room.

What followed next was… unsettling to say the least: the shouting and banging was so intense it clouded out the annoying music being blasted out of the speakers attached to the ceilings; wine glass shattered and card towers collapsed from the vibrations of what was happening in the kitchen; and the atmosphere, oh the atmosphere. It was nothing Snake felt before, it was like his entire soul was reacting sickly to the unspeakable horror happening behind the door.

Not wanting to see the result of the altercation, the Smashers packed up as fast as they can, and booked it out of the casino. When they returned for a third time they saw that Jack Grey was back to his normal self: being elusive and unnaturally charming to his guests. However there was something of amiss, the player that had cheated last time was not there at the casino. And was never seen ever again.

Rumors had sprung up among the players to what happened to that guy. Some say Jack Grey beat him to a pulp and banned him from the casino, some say the guy was deformed from the skeleton's punishment, and wore a disguise to hide his scars. But most believe that Jack had actually murdered the player; incinerating him to ash and flushing his remains down the toilet.

Under all this speculation, one thing was for certain.

You do not screw with Jack.

" _He'll only get hostile if we directly disrupt his business."_ Answered Lucario _"So if we keep our hands (or paws) to ourselves, we will be fine. So don't do anything stupid like steal his coins alright."_ The jackal eyed Wario.

"What?! You think I would do something like that?"

"Wario, if the concept of greed was reincarnated into a living being, it would be you." Said Bowser.

"I like money, but I wouldn't risk my life over it!" Wario retorted.

"[Well, if anything happens just let me know. I'm always on call.]" The robot said on the device.

"Alright then, good bye R.O.B." Ganondorf said as he turned off the communicator. "Let's not waste any time, let's get inside before it gets too crowded." Sounds of agreement sounded from the group as they began to cross the bridge.

Unbeknownst to them, behind a tree not far from their location, were two black creatures wearing a green shirt and hat, and brown shoes and gloves; spying on the team with binoculars, with the help of their beady red eyes.


	39. Chapter 39: Treasure Box

**Chapter 39: Treasure Box**

When all the Smashers finally managed to squeeze pass the doors and converge inside, they were greeted with architecture that boggles the mind.

As Wario mentioned before, the casino was way bigger than it appears on the outside. The Smash Brothers were confused on how this could happen when they first understood the properties of the building, but when they asked Jack Grey, he simply replied: "Magical science, now can you please piss off! I'm flicking my coin here."

"Ugh, he says that every damn time we ask." Snake muttered to himself.

" _Don't focus on how it works, just admire things the way they are. If all secrets were left unturned, the world would become a much boring place, wouldn't it."_ Joked Lucario.

The length of the walls were that of the size of two football fields-matching equal in measurement, a perfect square-with red and black hearts and diamonds of the like adding much beloved texture to the surface.

All around were creatures that deify the laws of normality: A monkey in a detective outfit sipping a glass of wine; a pile of pink slime with thousands of eyeballs playing at 4 separate chess tournaments; A female knight doing the I-really-got-go-now dance by the female restroom door, banging on it with such fury; A sentient chocolate-chip almond hiding behind a trash can in fear that someone would eat it; A demon from hell congratulating his friend, an electrician for getting a phone number from a blind Medusa. Every sort of character from the mind of creativity could be found in this very Casino.

"How the hell is this not proof that this place is a multidimensional hot-spot!? I know the readings came up negative but I mean just look at it!" Wolf shouted, earning the perplexed looks of a suicidal clown and miniature Sasquatch. "There is nothing else that could-"

"Will you close those lips of yours, boy?" Scolded Ganondorf. "We're not here to get attention, it'll just make things complicated in our search."

"Speaking of searches, how are we going to find the Newcomer! It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack!" Bowser said gesturing to the various vices around the area: Blackjack: Shock-Therapy edition; pin-the-tail-the-tale dart throwing competition, Russian roulette but with crossbows. The casino was like a jungle, it's appears doubtful that they'll find the Newcomer that easily.

"Hmm, What if we get Jack Grey to help in our search?" Suggested Snake, he didn't like the idea of getting the skeleton along with their plans but without him the rescue may take longer than expected.

Wolf bit his lip in content. "You sure that's a good idea? That guy is wild card. We don't know if he'll even want to help us."

"Yeah, besides." Butted in Bowser. "We don't know where to look for Grey."

"Isn't he always in his office?" Asked Wario.

"He's not always there." Snake scanned the room. "In fact, he's almost never there. Jack is always roaming the casino, either monitoring for any potential cheating around the games or hosting events to the guests. If we're going to need Jack, we need to find clues about his whereabouts."

" _Found it!"_ Lucario said.

Snake was surprised. "Already?!" he tracked the eyesight of his friend to a note that was plastered on a gold pillar; it was attached very recently. It read:

 **The Ultimate Poker Day Celebration will be hosted at the Ballroom by yours truly, come immediately if you want the chance to receive the ultimate prize.**

 **Jack Grey**

"Poker Day?" Questioned Wario.

"Jack prefers to host poker early in the morning." Explained Ganondorf. "Hence Poker Day."

"That's just stupid."

"In any case, we have found our clue. Let's go to the ballroom before we miss our opportunity." Said Meta-Knight.

" _Let's take the elevator."_ Lucario directed the Smashers to a glass cylinder tube that was connected to the floor and ceiling. The king of evil pressed the up arrow; the group waited several minutes before the elevator car arrived. Wario was about to go inside, but Snake blocked his way inside with an extended arm.

"You fart, and I'll punch your eyes."

Wario offended, frowned at the solider as all Smashers went aside. After Meta Knight tapped onto a button, the doors closed and they were sent to the heavens.

The ride was annoying but tolerable; the only thing that was irritating was the soft but repetitive music that hummed though the space of the box. To pass the time, Bowser asked an important question. "So what exactly can Jack Grey do? I know he's a skeleton but what other tricks does he have under his sleeve?"

" _We don't the fullest extent of his abilities, despite being quite the charming showman, he's doesn't really 'show off' that much."_ Said Lucario.

"Unless you piss him off." Said Snake.

The jackal shook his head. _"We definitely know he has a form of Pyrokinesis, but that's not the only ability he has: He can generate and manipulate cards and coins, has very dense bones, detect gold, can transform himself into smoke and ash, and lastly alter the structure of his casino."_

"Alter the structure?" Questioned Wolf.

" _Alter in the sense he can telekinetically shift and move the items and architecture in the building, and that's all we know at the moment."_

Before anyone can ask, the communicator was ringing. Meta-knight took the device and answered it.

"[Guys! Something just happened!]" R.O.B. Panicked.

"What's the matter?! Did the mansion get attacked?!" The masked warrior said with conviction.

"[No! Nothing of the sort. It has to do with the vault.]"

"What's wrong with the vault?" Asked Snake.

"[I'll explain. Sometime after you guys left for the mission, Luigi reported to me that one of the Assist trophies was missing!]" The robot announced in disbelief.

"A trophy missing?" The turtle scratched his head. "Why's that such a big deal? We occasionally lose track of our items but we always find them."

"[But it's the way how it got missing that's astounding!]" R.O.B. Said. "[Since we had trouble finding it, I viewed the security feed, and you won't believe it. But the assist trophy glowed into gold light and faded away.]"

The fighters were looking at each other confused, wondering if R.O.B. systems were glitching. "You sure it wasn't activated by mistake?" Asked Snake.

"[I'm certain of it!]" R.O.B. retorted. "[It just vanished.]"

"What's the name of the assist trophy that disappeared?" Questioned Ganon.

"[It's the Little Mac-the boxer from the Punch Out universe.]"

" _Hmm."_ The Pokémon thought to himself out loud.

"Something on your mind Lucario?" Said Meta Knight.

" _I wonder if… nah it's seems to far-fetched."_

"What's far-fetched?" Snake questioned his friend.

" _It's a long shot, but what if-"_ The blue canine was about to speak, but looked to see the metallic doors open, a nice sight of a clean beautiful ballroom presented itself to the mutt, breaking his concentration.

" _We're here!"_ Lucario announced, politely grabbing the communicator from Meta Knight. _"I'm sorry R.O.B., but something important just came up. Let us know if you find the assist trophy at the mansion."_

"[Affirmative!]" Obeyed the robot. "[Be careful Lucario, and may luck be with you.]" The Veteran said before signing off.

"Look over there." Gannondorf pointed to a crowd. "I bet the show's going to start over there I'm betting."

"Let's hope you're right." Said Bowser. "I would hate to think we came up here for nothing."

The Smashers walked out of the box, and slowly approached the crowd from behind, waiting for the show to start. Peering over the heads of the guests, the group could see a big wooden stage, with a purple sparkling curtain closing the entire backstage off. The only thing that was visible on the wooden platform was a microphone standing, being constantly shone upon by several multicolored spotlights.

Just then, the surrounding lights of the ballroom dimmed whiles the spotlights got brighter. The speakers built into the ceiling crackled a little bit before a deep but soothing voice spoke.

" **Hello there, ladies, gentlemen, and other worldly creatures of the unknown. Are you ready to get this show on the road?"**

"YEAH!" Ear-splitting "yeah's" boomed across the room, disorientating the ears of the fighters.

" **Who do you want see?"**

"JACK!"

" **When do you want to see him?"**

"NOW!"

" **Sorry, I couldn't quite catch that. Can you say it again?"**

"NOW!"

" **I can hear but you're whispering. One more time should do it."**

" **NOW!** "

"Okay then!" The male voice on the speaker chuckled, getting a thrill of teasing the audience. "Well you asked for it! Give you unbridled love and attention to… JACK GREY!"

Miniature fireworks erupted on stage; rainbow sparkles bursting in darkness. The curtains were rolled backed as fast as physical possible to reveal… nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was not a single sole behind the curtains. This made the crowd confused, which made them whisper among themselves.

"What's happening? Why isn't Mr. Grey on stage?" Wario scratched his head.

"Maybe he's late?" Suggested Wolf.

"No. He's never been late, that guy's always been on time, right on the top."

"Ehh, he probably bailed on this show." Said Bowser. Lucario was about to say how that's not likely, when a charming but mischievous voice stopped him.

"Or perhaps he wanted to surprise you all."

Lucario turned his head to the right to see a skeleton wearing a red suit and a fedora; smoking a cigar.

"Oh my god! It's Jack Grey!" happily cried a depressed cupid, giving the crowd the incentive to clap and cheer.

"Sorry for the anticipation everybody, but I just couldn't resist pulling a twist there at the end." The man joked. "This is a special occasion, and I want to the show to be spectacular, and I want to make it last. Speaking of which, I should probably get back on stage."

Jack Grey body turned to ash, the burnt particles circled around to form a smoky tornado. The tornado floated above the air, and hovered over the audience, right across over to the microphone. Once he got there, he transformed back to his natural form and grabbed the mic with style.

"Well Ain't this a crowd! You all excited to be here today?" Jack incited the guests, getting a loud cheer in return. Now getting a closer look at Grey, Snake could see that the skeleton's tie and shoes were stark white, a clear contrast to his attire. On closer inspection, the solider could see gold plated: hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades all over the pants legs and sleeves. He never seen this suit before, this was really special.

"I expected that! We all had good times around here didn't we?" rhetorically asked Jack, expecting a reaction.

"Hell yeah! Like the time you crushed a Bowling-sized jaw breaker with your teeth!"

"Or how a tree got stuck in the ventilation shaft!"

"Can't forget about the time when my grandma won three jackpots in a row!"

Almost everyone was speaking their favorite memory, killing the ambiance of the ballroom. The skeleton held up a bony hand to silence the crowd.

"Yes, we all had our favorite experience in this Casino, but I'm going to give you something so big, so awesome. It will shatter your world."

"Wonder what he has planned?" Bowser whispered.

"Quiet, he's still talking." Said Ganondorf.

"You see, I recently discovered a new quirk of one of my powers. It's common knowledge I can change the structure of my home as I command: Moving chairs around, making new doors in the wall, repairing the stairs etc. but now I can go beyond my limit. do something… spectacular." Jack to a heavy take of his cigar before he puffed out the smoke; next he charged his right hand with blue flames, his fingers were vibrating tremendously before he snapped.

The room changed in an instant; out of nowhere the crowd and the Smashers find themselves on a beach: the water was flowing majestically as the sand warmed up the feet of the guests.

"Woah… did we just traveled to Hawaii?" Said a blindfolded surfer.

"Nope, we never left the room." Jack Grey Explained, walking around the stage to add more flare in his speech. "You may have trouble believing this, but I can morph the environment and decor into anything I want. Whether it be the beach, or a forest, desert, arctic, hotel, apartment building, outer space, my closet-doesn't matter! I just take a hit of my cigar, and a snap will make my vision come true."

"So you can change the room into floating pancakes and exploding hamburgers?!" Asked a fat angel.

"Sadly not. I can only shift the room into something that's physical possible; either regions that exist due to nature or anything built by sentient civilizations, essentially environments that can be found on the planet. So nothing too out their unfortunately." Jack frowned as he restored the room back to its natural state.

"Did you see that? Did you know he could do that?" Wario whispered to Lucario.

" _Not until right now. He's gotten more powerful over time. He certainly surprised me there. Wasn't expecting that."_

"This is bad. If we piss him off-" Wolf said before Snake cut him off.

"Nothing will happen if we follow the rules." The mercenary spoke, turning his head to the stage.

"But let's not fret, this is a very joyful occasion. No reason to dwell on the negative." Grey pressed a button on his mic, and a large glass box rose from the wooden compartment of the floor. "I want to make this pleasurable as possible. So to start…let me show you what you could win, the ultimate prize of a lifetime… THE TREASURE BOX!"

The skeleton gestured his arm to a large glass box containing hordes of gold coins, jewels, and chests.

The crowded howled with happiness upon seeing the "Treasure Box.", clapping, stomping, and whistling good thanks to the owner. Except the Smashers, their jaws wide open in shock. For on top of all the treasure and trinkets, was a life-sized trophy of a boxer with dark skin, green gloves, and black hair.

* * *

 **Hey guys,**

 **I just want to tell you that I'm going to take a 1 week break so I can enjoy thanksgiving with my family. Haven't seen them in a while.**

 **If you have any questions, just message me.**

 **Till next time.**


	40. Chapter 40: Play to Win

**Chapter 40: Play to Win**

It was Little Mac.

The statue's size was about the size of a Smasher in its trophy state, and its pose and appearance changed significantly. But there was no doubt about. That was the Newcomer they've been looking for.

Before a strategy could be made, Wario impulsively stated the obvious loud than need. "HOLY COW! IS THAT THE NEWCOMER?!"

The cheering stopped in an instant, the crowd halting their appreciation in confusion where'd the outburst came from. Except for Jack-who rubbed his chin in remembrance. "Hmm… the voice seems oddly familiar… and annoying. Wait is that-" Grey raised his head over the sea of guests to see-

"Ah! I see we have some fighters in the room." The skeleton gestured his bony hand to the Smasher's, prompting a spotlight to shine upon them all. The air felt very uncomfortable with all eyes on them. Time stood still until Lucario made the next move.

" _Mr. Grey, sorry to intrude on your performance, but we need something important from you. We can wait for you after you done-"_

"Nonsense." Interrupted Jack, if flesh was still on his teeth, he would've made a crooked smile. "There's no need for a meeting. You can tell me right now, on the stage. In fact, why don't you all make a path for the Smash Brothers. This is important." He told his audience.

The guests moved either left or right, making a clear pathway for the rescuers. The skeleton made the "Come-over-here" signal with his finger. Eagerly waiting for their arrival.

"I don't like this." Whispered Bowser.

"Just deal with it and move." Replied Ganondorf.

All seven fighters walked down the aisle; some moving with a sense of urgency, others with hesitation under the piercing gaze of the gamblers. Nonetheless, the reached the wooden stand. Jack shifted a portion of the stage into a makeshift stairs with slight movements of his hand; saving his V.I.P's the trouble of climbing.

Once their feet were on the stand Jack Grey stood up with pride, looking into their eyes not with hostility, but hospitality. "Never thought I'd see you're faces here again. Especially you Lucario; having fun is not your thing." He said as he presented his hand.

" _I'm not some ancient fossil that mediates all day, Jack."_ The canine gave a cautious but firm handshake with the owner. _"I can let loose when the time arises."_

"And I'm presuming today is not one of those times?" Jack ended gestured, disappointment emanating from his teeth. "I figured. You trophies work 24/7; practically slaves to your jobs, and coming from a workaholic like me that says something."

Wario rolled his eyes, but at that instant. Jack came up to his eyelevel in a flash. "Don't you roll eyes in front of me boy; my shoes still stain of garlic. Keep that in mind."

Wario was now scared for his life.

"Everyone who works with the Smash Brothers does it willingly." Said Snake, attempting to ease the tension. "We work hard to save the WOT, and we can't let our guards down. If we didn't defeat Tabuu-"

"Doom and gloom; carnage; end-times; the destruction of our very universe as we know it-I get the picture." Grey casually spoke in a happier attitude. "I've heard the tale so many times, I don't need another."

The skeleton created a coin in his palm and rubbed his fingers all over it as he continued talking. "So what's this thing you need from me? Is it going to be a quick, because I have a game to run." The man asked jerking his head in the direction of the crowd.

" _I'll be fast I promise. You see that statue that's sitting on top of all that gold, right inside the box? It-"_

"No." Jack interrupted the Pokémon, smoking his cigar sternly.

"No?" Questioned Bowser. "No what?"

"No." The skeleton retorted again. "You may not have a cut of the prize from the Treasure Box."

Eyes popped open; fists were clenched; and jaws dropped within the group of Smashers, each reacting to Grey's delectation. The most unique reaction was that of Ganondorf who simply raised a brow. "Prize?"

"Oh, yes." Jack gave a hearty heart, followed shortly by a smoke of his cigar. "In this casino, giving out prizes is customary; especially when play poker. If I gave anyone a portion of the Treasure Box's contents, then I would have to do the same for everyone. And that's just bad for business. Ain't that right?" He asked the crowd, to which he was answered with "yes's" and nods. "Every piece of treasure inside the box, is their treasure. There's no honor of giving hand-outs in the house of cards."

"You think that's a prize?" Snake angrily pointed to the statue.

"Yes, that's why it's in the _prize box_. Dumbass." The skeleton condescended to the solider. If it wasn't for the fact that Jack was powerful, Snake would have shot him in the kneecaps with his SOCOM.

" _Ok, I think there's been a misunderstanding."_ Lucario said. _"That "statue" inside the box is not some shiny inanimate object. It's a Newcomer. I don't know why it was birthed in your establishment or how it got inside the glass container. But I promise you, that's not a prize, it's a person named Little Mac."_

"Really now?" Jack muttered, looking inside the box. "Ah, I see it, the sliced circle is on the gold plate. Can't believe I missed that before."

"That's quite surprising coming from a man who pay attention to everything." Spoke Meta-knight.

"Even with my eagle eyes, I can still miss details." Acknowledged Jack. "You convinced me that this is a Smasher, kudos to you. I still can't give you the statue though."

The Pokémon froze in utter shock, halting his breath in disbelief. _"What?"_

"I never told you how Poker Night works around here did I? I guess now's the best time as any to explain." Jack flipped his coin again, afterwards he lectured to the rescuers. "Every competent gambler knows it's required to hack up their own cash when playing a game such as Poker, it's the standard for most casinos. Except for this one." The skeleton treaded towards the glass box, knocking on it playfully to the Smashers. "In my casino, you cannot only put your own bills and coins on the table, you can risk treasure, artifacts, and even your own belonging! Hell, practically anything that is thrown into the jackpot is up for grabs."

"But that's only limited to items." Retorted Wolf. "I come here often to know the swing of things, and I know that it's illegal to bet on living things around here. I remember that you installed that law after there were many incidents of gamblers betting and winning other gamblers as slaves."

"That's correct my canine friend, but here's the deal." Jack tilted his fedora downwards to appear more powerful. "Smashers-as you call yourselves-do not count as living beings: you may act and function like any other creature in the WOT, but your origins are not organic. Your species are essentially immortal indestructible statues that come to life. Doomed to walk the planet for eternity."

" _Now that's not-"_

"I'm not finished." He interrupted. "And since Smashers are just sentient trophies-a treasure commonly found throughout the lands-they count as prizes."

Great anger was felt between the seven team members, even Lucario, a person of such patience was furious. They refused to believe that their kind was nothing less than a shiny collectable.

"So that's why Mac's in the box? Saw him lying around the place and thought he'd be a good bounty?" Accused the turtle king.

"Don't be ridiculous! I may be greedy, but even I have to capacity for compassion. My heart is made of gold (Or at the very least a portion of it is.). This tragedy was not caused by me." Grey placed his hand over his ribcage to make a point about his personality. "Didn't you ask why this "Mac" is inside the Treasure Box" in the first place? Well here's the answer to that question: it appeared right out of thin air."

The skeleton coughed into his elbow to ease his voice. "After I collected the needed donations for the game, I tried to close the box to finalize the bounty. But upon doing so, the trophy materialized inside the glass, which added itself onto the pile. Because of the fact that it's illegal to mess with the prizes once the lid is closed, it was out of my control. If I had done what you asked and just extract your boxer friend out, I would not only be breaking the trust of guests, but I would be violating the rules of this very establishment.

"But you created those rules." Pointed out Snake.

"And I follow them to the letter." Stated the skeleton. "I'm sorry that has happened, but I'm not going to break the law around here to suit your needs. Deal with it!"

"This is dishonorable Jack, and you know it! Do the right thing and forsake your laws!" Meta-knight eyed the boxer atop the pile of gold. He was tempted over the idea of flashing at the speed of sound to rescuer their member.

Jack must have read the knight's body language because he immediately side-stepped the Veteran and ignited his fists with blue flames. "Don't. Even Think. About. It." Red glowing dots formed in the middle of his eyeholes. "Listen well, 'cause I'm going to say this once. You won't, none of you won't steal from the box, from this casino whiles we're at it! Any thief who tries to rob me blind will face the karmic fury of spite. Don't think I'll give your organization a pass 'cause of your heritage. You steal. **You die.** "

The atmosphere became so thick, the air became almost unbreathable. Everyone-Smasher and audience alike felt anxious to what the all-powerful Jack Grey would do next.

A moment went by, to which Jack Grey extinguished the flames and took a deep breath. Exhaling smoke in the air.

"Look." The skeleton said with solemn. "I can't give your friend for free I'm afraid that's not possible. But perhaps there's another way."

" _There is? What is it?"_ Questioned Lucario.

"Sign up for the poker tournament."

"Sign up? You want us to sign up so we could potentially win the Newcomer?" Butted in Snake.

"Why not? This tournament is free admission, which means anyone can join. I know some of your members here come to my casino to play the games here, hoping to win some mullah. At least one of you Smashers should have a good card hand. If you spread yourselves out between the brackets, you'll have a greater chance of winning the prize, and consequently your trophy-friend." Explained Jack.

"This is immoral Mr. Grey." Objected Meta-Knight "Forcing us to play your game to win back what was never truly yours? On top of going through all these guests? Bleh, I guess cruelty is core part of who you are."

"Oh please, it won't take forever." Jack Grey moaned. "The limit is five players per game, but we're going to spread out the players throughout the many tables we have in this casino, I'll practically cut the tournament so short, it'll be done in three rounds. And you don't have a choice in matter, it's either my way or the highway to oblivion. Take your pick."

Lucario closed his eyes, clenching his paws in frustration as he turned to face his team. _"I hate the idea of even going along with this, but we're running out of options here. If we don't do this, we may never see Little Mac again. Who's with me?"_

"Never leave a solider behind. I'm in."

"I agree, abandoning those who need our help is the ultimate form of dishonor. Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'll play."

"I'm not letting this bony creep get the best of us, where do I sign?"

"I know everything you need to learn about Poker. This will be shooting fish in a barrel."

"It's unlike me to shy away from a challenge, with my triforce of power I'll will conquer this game."

"Wahh? Oh uh… sure I'll play I guess."

The blue canine rotated his head towards the owner, who smiled deviously at them. "I guess that settles it. You won't regret this, I promise." Jack Grey turned the microphone on and faced his endearing audience. "Well everybody, I guess we're ready to start. Allow me to commence the supreme. The fantastic. The ruthless. The most wonderful event of the year. Allow me to commence the annual **Poker Night!** "


	41. Chapter 41: The Water Princess

**Chapter 41: The Water Princess**

Brawler came to enjoy the new powers given to him by that pesky nerd. The earth king, despite his title, was just some wimp who could mildly control dust. Absolutely pathetic in most cases. But in the hands of the fist-fighter, he learned to tap into this element deeper than he could of thought: Miniature earthquakes, Stalagmites piercing through the ground, throwing giant-sized boulders with strength alone—He managed to learn so much in that short time during training, even producing moves that's nowhere to be found in the tutorial. It was like he became the embodiment of earth itself.

"How's the tutorial going for you Brawler?" Asked Gunner. "You seemed like you were pretty invested."

Putting down the controller to replenish his thirst with a sip of beer, Brawler spoke to the female Mii. "The tutorial itself, was completely useless, only taught the basics. Thank god I'm self-reliant, otherwise I wouldn't discover these abilities for myself."

"So you're good to go for the next boss then right?" Pestered Swordfighter. "I don't want to rush, but we have to go through three more of these 'Elemental Masters' before nightfall. If we're not done by then, people will start being suspicious."

The puncher sighed, massaging his hands in an attempt to prepare himself. "Alright… I'm ready." He unpaused, directing his character to the exit.

 **Start the next battle?**

 **Yes? No?**

"Of course, dumbass. Why else would I go to the door?" Brawler said to the screen, in some vain attempt to mock the game for its faults. That, and for its low texture resolution.

The cutscene started off with a blackness before transitioning to Fury leaving the coliseum on foot, a voice that sounded awfully closer to the announcer spoke, detailing what was happening. "The death of Earth King was rejuvenating to the fighter, it reminded him of the old days before everything went wrong. But there was no time to celebrate, there were three more parasites Kung would have to take care of before living the highlife."

"The next target was the Water Princess, the rich and beautiful maiden of the sea. But that title doesn't suit the noble since her personality is alike to cancer. Kung Fury would prefer to call her by a different name. **Bitch**."

Kung was now sailing a row-boat across and ocean, battling against the tide and thunderstorms to reach his destination. "To reach the home of the Water Princess, the fighter would have to make an unruly shortcut through the Dead Sea, not wanting to pay extra for a boat trip."

"Seriously? He rather risks his life because he doesn't want to spend his money? That's cheaper than Wario." Said Swordfighter.

"I know, his greed has no bounds but his generosity is very limited." Replied Brawler.

"His determination was all he needed to pass the killer waters, the moment he landed on shore, Kung abandoned his boat and headed straight to the next battle arena to face his next foe." The screen changed to Kung Fury traversing in an artic-like area, walking away from a broken row-boat and towards a castle made of ice.

Then the screen changed to black, then shifted to a big arena made of ice, with snow falling from above and water flooding up to knee-level. The perfect environment for a hydrokinetic.

"Is it me, or do these seemed rushed?" Asked Gunner.

"Yeah the pacing of the cutscenes are too fast for my taste, kind of ruins my immersion." Replied Sword.

"We're here to get the job done, that's the deal. Getting invested is the least of our concerns." Reminded Brawler. "If anything, this works in our favor; the quicker I finish this game, the quicker I'll get more power."

Brawler's character entered the ring barefoot. The crowd immediately booed him, they don't care what his merit is; no one is better the maiden of the tides. He shivered slightly from the intense cold but maintained his composure for the stand-off, for on the other side of the arena was the woman he'd been looking for, the one who was cheered by the masses when she took off her veil: The Water Princess.

The lady that Fury was eyeing had skin dark as mud, her irises were white as the snow that was landing on their bodies, and lips were unnaturally red; presumably from the use of lipstick.

Her attire displayed her status as noble: pearl earrings hung from her lobes like savory fruit on a young tree; the blue dress covering her most body was blue as the sky itself-accompanied with the white ribbons caressing her shoulders, waist, and thighs, it looked like she descended from heaven itself. The most beautiful feature (That Kung Fury reluctantly admired.) Was the silvery tiara sitting upon her silk blond hair; shining brightly with pride and vigor. Truly, this woman could compete with the goddess itself on looks alone.

Shame her personality couldn't match the cover.

"So, you're the scoundrel who killed the Earth King?" The Water Princess questioned. She wasn't surprised that the geokinetic died so pathetically, out of the four of them, he was without a doubt the weakest link. It was his wealth and notoriety that gained him so much power, not his elemental abilities. "I've heard you inflicted quite the wound on him."

"A "wound" does not give it justice. I inflicted ungodly destruction on his immortal soul." Fury voice honed a sense of pride as he spoke. "Those who act like pigs shall be treated as such; removing those pink tubes of flesh from his belly was a declaration of symbolistic irony. Men of cowardice do not deserve guts."

"By the upward twitches of your lips, I assume you felt pleasure from decimating him." She said, recognizing the cues on his face. "Made you feel euphoric didn't it? Like you take on the world head on without taking a sweat?"

"More than that. I gained power." Fury stated. He generated a small amount of pebbles around his fingers, twirling it in good luck. "Though training the earth within me took its toll on my spirit. I became stronger than I was in old life. And armed with my willpower, I shall slay the parasites that ruined my good name, and restore my honor."

"And you're going to accomplish that by killing us?" Scoffed the maiden. "You're a fool to risk your life over an intangible dream. You either have a heart of steal or a brain of mush."

"Famous last words." Snide the fighter. "Enough talk, your life by my command, is forfeit."

"Hmph, let's see if your bark matches your bite!" She said with no remorse, the maiden then turned her head to the raptors. "Bard! Commence the battle!"

A female dressed in white ropes came up to the podium, standing straight with dignity. She took a scroll from her pocket, and unfolded it. "Hear ye, hear ye. We are gathered her today, to begin the fight of the ages, for we-"

"Oh god, not a damn speech." Moaned Brawler, clenching his teeth in annoyance. "How do I skip this?" The fighter tried pressing random buttons on the controller but to no success.

"What? No, don't skip it!" Interrupted Gunner. "Maybe there's something important that we might miss."

"Yeah, fat chance." Retorted the Mii. "Why won't it quit?"

"It's probably one of those unskippable cutscenes." Answered the blade-wielder.

"Aw, those are the worst! I'm not going to sit through this crap."

"Just give it time Brawler." Spoke Sword. "God, you're so impatient, just calm down."

"Oh, don't you start with the virtuous attitude, you asshole. You know I hate that!"

"Guys, I think it's starting." Gunner pointing to the screen; getting the blonde and the brunette's attention.

"…and by the order of the princess, I commence this battle to start! GO!"

The moment that the princess got permission to start, she materialized a floating ball of solid ice and threw her arm forward. The projectile hit Fury in the forehead, knocking him down onto his back-making a splash in the water.

"Damn made the first move!" Gritted the fist-fighter.

"And looks like she's making another!" Warned Gunner.

Kung Fury lifted his head to see a growing a trail of ice heading coming towards him. The spikes of frozen water erupted from the ground, looking for blood.

His blood.

The fighter rolled over on his belly, nearly dodging to the right as the attack nearly missed him. He got up in panic, having swallowed a pint of water by accident. He threw the contents of his stomach.

"Still think you're the top dog boy? I think not." Mocked the maiden. In response, Kung starred with livid anger and formed gauntlets of earth around his hands, and then he charged forward.

The Water Princess lifted her fingers to spawn multiple barrages of ice spikes, going towards her enemy. Fury was not much of a runner, getting tired easily from the intense endurance. But he makes up for it in his evasion skill; like a butterfly he shifted left and right to avoid the spikes. Getting closer, he clapped the gauntlets together, producing a yellow aura from his knuckles.

The woman changed her strategy; she stopped with the spikes and moved back to her ice balls. Multiple spheres were created around her before they all flew away from her spot, one at a time.

In response, Brawler ordered his character to manage the orbs of frost. Kung Fury dealt with it by either blocking it or smashing it into a thousand pieces.

When the fighter got close, the princess quickly formed a sword of ice and prepared to slash his head off. Luckily, he constructed by holding it in place with his gauntlets. However, his opponent had more strength than she was letting on, he struggled to stand his ground as the blade got closer, and closer, and closer, until it pierced into his chest by an inch.

Kung hiss in pain, which delighted the princess. "Give it up, you we're a fool to challenge me. You'll die like those who fell before me."

"Want to test that theory? Witch!" Brawler tapped the action button in determination. The fighter scowled and looked at the noble's eyes with disdain. He hastily grabbed the hand holding the weapon and clenched it in an attempt to prevent the sword going forward.

Her eyes popped open when she saw Fury slowly removing the blade from his wound. Upon removal, he lifted his thigh to the central ridge and slammed his earthly gauntlet into the fuller; breaking the blade in two.

It was now the princess's turn to be taken off guard; she was completely shocked from the counterattack. Taking advantage of her distraction, Fury went on the offensive: he did a punch to the throat, followed by a jab to the abdomen, and ended off with a uppercut to the face that sent the maiden flying for several feet-earning a horrified gasp from the audience.

She crashed so hard into the floor that even the water couldn't soften her impact, her skin bruised like a tomato when her back made contact with the ice.

The Water Princess groaned for a several seconds before getting onto her knees, she snarled before disappearing into the water below. The water began to rotate in a circular fashion, the pull was so great, it dissolved the ice floor, forming a giant whirlpool in the middle of the stage.

"She created a vortex, what are you going to do next?" Asked the blonde blade-wielder as Brawler's character was slowly getting pulled in by the tide.

The black-haired Mii felt a hinge of urgency, until he remembered his experimentation in the tutorial. "If this fails I swear."

Fury did a majestic back flip, landing on a platform of earth they was instantly created under him. Now that he has something to stand on, he can freely transverse the spiral.

"That's incredible Brawler, how'd you know it would work?" Questioned Gunner.

"The Earth Surfboard move allows the user to hover above the ground; figured it was worth a try." Sharply answered the Mii. "Now's where's is that bitch?"

When he finished his sentence, the maiden propelled herself out of the water like a dolphin. She was wielding whips of water that was extending from both of her hands, now that she has the element of surprise, she aimed her construct at her enemy and…

*WHAAP!*

The impact of the whip on his chest made him stumble back a bit, nearly falling off of the platform. Fury blinked a couple of times from the pain as he caught a glimpse of the girl diving into the water, staying out of sight once more.

"What is she, a fish?!" Stammered the shooter.

"No, a female dog." Seethed Brawler. He thought out the possible ways he could gain the upper hand on the princess. _"Plain earth is just going to sink in the water, same thing as crystal and metal; mud is made of water, she could use that against me. And I'm not well versed in lava. What other earth-based substance could I possibly use-"_

Just then he remembered. _"Of course!"_ He quickly created a spear made out of blistering hot sand.

" _Sand dehydrates water; if I spread this all over the arena I could flush her out of hiding."_

The maiden dove out of the water to attack again, but Fury came equipped this time. However, the princess was to close for a stab in the face, so Brawler did the next best thing. He commanded the fighter to twirl around and smack her in back, the impact was enough the send her of course into the water again.

It was time to end this dance.

Kung Fury dropped his spear onto the platform and extended his hands out, expelling countless particles of sand around the arena and into the hole; turning the place from a pool to a sand box.

The only body of water around was a medium-sized pond where the vortex used to be. The fighter dissipated the platform and rearmed himself with the spear, approaching the pond with caution as he moved closer, and closer.

The girl flew out of the water in a fit of desperation, brandishing her whips as she went in the kill.

Fortunately for Fury, he was quicker. He pierced the maiden's abdomen. She screamed in pain as the spade broke off, and crash-landed in a heap of sand. It felt like her belly was on fire, and it only got worse when she he removed the scrap from her side. She understood now, this one was special. If the princess didn't take out the trash right now, her corpse will be in the dust bin. The girl propped herself on her knee, displaying an emotion between fear and anger as she covered the wound in some vain attempt of healing.

"Ready to choke on those words?" Mocked Fury. "Still got plenty of energy to spare."

Ignoring the insult, she extended both hands away from her body and closed her eyes. The water that hadn't been dried up, had been lifted up in the air before shifting its state to that of mist.

"I don't care why you're here. Whether it be vengeance or delusions of grandeur." She spat as the mist was beginning to enshroud her body from head to toe. "I'm not letting you take me from the throne!"

The cloud of mist floated above the stage and the seats, towering over the crowd as it extended tentacles of gas at the fighter.

Kung Fury in turn did a cartwheel to avoid the tendrils and pounded his hands together. The excess dust from the sand was extracted from the ground and was now covering the challenger, in the same way as the princess.

"Whoa, I didn't see you make that move before." Said Sword.

"Me neither, I didn't practice with this move at training. I think this part's scripted." Answered Brawler.

The cloud of dust floated to the ceiling to meet the cloud of dust. They both stayed like that, silent in action but furious in movement. Waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Hold on, you haven't used this form before. What happens if you die because you don't know the controls?" Worried Gunner.

"Stop being uptight Gunner." Spoke Brawler. "I'm a fast learner, this won't be trouble."

The vapor went first, constructing a maul out of its gas before taking a swing. A portion of the dust fell apart when the spike ball hit it, now the brown cloud was smaller than the white one.

"Ah, I see you're not leaving things to chance. Allow me to break the odds!" The fist-fighter taunted the Water Princess as he ordered the dust to move upwards to dodge another attack. He quickly learned to move by position the controller stick in different ways.

" _Now I wonder what happens if I press the action button?"_ With a quick press up the left button the brown cloud had formed a shield of solid dust. "Wait, that's it? There's no damn weapons here! How the hell am I going to go on the offensive with a shield?!"

"I don't think you do." Said Swordfighter.

Being confused, Brawler allowed himself to be hit by the maul again, destroying more of the dust.

"S* t" Shouted the fist-fighter. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"If you have a shield then it probably means you have to defend yourself." Analyzed the Mii in the orange shirt. "Look! She's going once more!"

Kung Fury's eyes widened as the maul was speeding at break-neck speed at him, he would've been pulverized if it hadn't been for the dusty shield blocking the spikes. As if things couldn't get intense, the princess had created four more mauls, it shot out the deadly tendrils as the white death got closer to the brown challenger.

Fury strained his mind, shielding all of the attacks. He was so preoccupied he couldn't do anything as the princess went in for the kill. The vapor and dust circled around each other as the princess and fighter were slowly exposed to the fresh air, their respective element covering much of their bodies.

The Water Princess lifted her torso up to wrap her hands around Kung Fury's throat, the pain forced him to close his eyes as the princess was choking the ever-lasting life out of him. With his options few, the man dove his hand in the dust and hastily molded a dagger of particles, and blindly took a risk as he went for a stabbing motion.

Miraculously, her hands lost its grip, allowing him to breathe again. Curious he opened his eyelids to find the maiden staring back at him with dead eyes. Darting to the side of her head, he could easily see the knife sticking out of her temple-blood pouring out like ketchup from a bottle.

There clouds disappeared without a trace, and they were left falling from the ceiling to ground below, thankfully, the corpse of the Water Princess cushioned his fall. The crowd gasped in shock, with a couple crying their heart out.

Kung Fury stood up to gaze upon the dead woman, feeling thankful that his quick actions ensured him his life.

He got the last say after all.

Like last time, a small glow emanated from the body, this time bluish color. It did rings around his head before entering through his eyeballs.

Afterwards, Fury felt his hands getting wet. Glancing downwards, water was covering the entirety of his arms; with chunks of ices and steam hovering about.

 **Congratulations! You collected the soul of the Water Princess.**

 **This will allow you to gain the power of hydrokinesis!**

 **You got two elements, two more to go.**

"Boo!"

"You fiend!"

"I can't believe it! This can't be real!"

Words of hate and despair violated his ear drums. He saw that the villagers were not harassing him for overthrowing their ruler. Their anger could almost contend Fury's if they had the determination.

"SILENCE!" The heckling ceased once the royal bard shouted her command. Now that she had the stage, she continued.

"Rue this day, oh my." She whispered, then raised the volume to her voice. "I shall now declare the winner of this curse battle. The winner is… Kung Fury."

The bard's tone was that of weariness and sadness. But Fury didn't care, not his fault, if she didn't screw with him, the she would've still be alive.

The fighter gave a bow as he headed towards the nearest exit, waving to all the people shouting him down from the stands until the doors closed.

"By hell, the boss battle was ball busting." Said Brawler, know slouching from his chair from mental exhaustion. "See Gunner, told you nothing will happen."

"Yes, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad you proved me wrong." Piped Gunner.

"Good, we have two more to go." Sword pointed to the cloaked figures guarding the door. The two figures presenting the Earth King and the princess was now gone. All that's left was The Air assassin and the Fire Tyrant. "If we start training now we-"

"Nope, not now. I need to rest for a few minutes." Interrupted Brawler, wanting to take a breather.

"Fine, whenever you finished, just continue. I'm going to practice my sword techniques." The blade-wielder said as he went to one of the corners of the room.

"Oh, wait for me!" Gunner went to follow Sword. "I want to see what you got."

"Yeah, you go do that. I'm going to take mine as well." Brawler said as he relaxed in his chair. "Two more to go. Just two more to go, and I'll be free of this horsecrap. Just a little more."


	42. Chapter 42: What if?

**Chapter 42: What If?**

The projector flashed pictures of cards, hands, and poker chips on a blank white screen until Mr. Grey turned the knob on the device to shut it off. "Now that my little presentation is over, does anybody have any question? Speak now, or forever hold your peace." He said as he turned his body around to his guests.

Everyone was sitting in a dark shady room, resting their rumps on cheap plastic chairs; with the Smash Brothers taking the front row. An awkward silence took hold of the atmosphere until Wario raised a gloved hand in the air.

The skeleton lightly growled, if he had a face of flesh he would be frowning right now. "Yes, Wario?"

"Uh, why did you had us watch a 2 hour-long video of how to play Poker?" Questioned the fat Smasher.

"It was only half an hour! Get a watch!" Jack pointed to his own watch in annoyance. "Anyways, I did it because I wanted to make sure that all of you are familiar with this game; didn't want any complaining."

"But wouldn't most people coming to a casino know how to play Poker or any of the games here as a matter of fact? This seems very patronizing and I do not like it one bit." Said Wolf, leaning back in his chair.

"That's what I thought too, but you be surprised how many idiots walk through my front door." Spoke Jack. "They first play my games without a clue of what to do, then they get pissed they spent all their saving or their kid's college funds, and then they get in my face-and I have to resist burning them to a crisp-and it turns into a bad day for everyone, and one day I said enough." He gestured to the projector to the room. "I showcased you a tutorial if you will, so you'll have no grounds to whine if you lose because "you didn't get it". If you still fail stupidly after this, your fault."

"We know that the presentation's over, we can finally get playing" Snake was about to stand up before the skeleton interrupted.

"Wait, before we start. There's another thing that is required of all of you before we begin." He snapped his fingers and the doors at both ends opened. Men of living shadow came pouring into their space, wearing white comedy or tragedy masks on their faces. They came to each of the rows and passed down a multitude of papers and pens to the guests sitting down.

Lucario got his paper and observed the document in close detail; he raised an eyebrow. _"A waiver? Is this game so deadly that we need a waiver?"_

"Not exactly, my games are safe (for the most part)." Jack coughed in his hand, then continued on his explanation. "This is in case you try to press legal action against me."

 _"I'm guessing this rule came as a result of an experience you had, an unruly guest I suppose?"_

Grey shook his bony head and took a breath of his cigar. "Back then, when I was forming a way on how to deal with stupid guests, this one guy had to gall to sue me, saying that I was unfair to him and how I was rigging the game against him because he had better cheek bones than me." The undead owner scoffed in disbelief. "First of all, I did had better cheek bones than him, second, I almost lost court because of his sour attitude. The law could have taken my business you know, but luckily I proved myself to be honest and holy, and got off freely. So yeah. I'm not going through that nightmare again." He grabbed the waiver and showed it to the audience. "You don't sign. You don't play."

Wario raised his hand again.

"No Wario, signing this would not result in the loss of your soul, everything you see on the print is what you agreed to. There is no strings attached. Besides, even if I did had the power to suck souls from bodies, I wouldn't dare use it. Especially against you, don't want your putrid spirit stinking up the place."

Wario lowered his hand down **angrily**.

"When you're done just pass your paper to servants to left. I'm going to listen some oldies in the meantime." The man sat down at his desk and turned on the radio, which played an unfamiliar song that probably came from the 60's or 70's as he as smoke heavily on his cigar.

Lucario held the tiny pen in his big paws, writing his signatures with only a few fingers. Due to him having fast reflexes, he finished the paper within a minute. Finished, he passed his document to the left and turned to Snake, who was taking his time writing.

" _Projectors, Waivers, and well-trained security detail? Jack doesn't take any chances does he?"_

"Nope, when it comes to the matter of his money and shares, he avoids risks like the plague." Remarked the solider. "That's why he's so successful."

" _Yeah…"_ The canine pondered on that comment, resting his head on the back of the chair. _"You know I just remembered something. We forgot to check the computer before we left."_

"Ah, dammit you're right." Snake sighed in his chair. "We need to see the hint first before we can even come up with an answer."

" _Actually, we can get R.O.B. to check for us. All we need to do is just call him."_ Piped up Lucario, now remembering his robotic ally.

"Yeah but not now. Jack said we can't use devices such as cameras or phones when the game starts and before it finally ends." Reminded Snake. "Don't worry, we'll get through that digital blocker and closer to FW soon. Just give it time."

" _Oh, the terrorist worries me without a doubt."_ Lucario stated. _"But that's not what I'm concerned about at the moment."_

"You're scared we might lose this." Snake pointed out, reading the signals his friend was giving.

The Pokémon shook is his slowly. _"We're fight on the battlefield, not a green-clothed table."_ Said Lucario. _"This is not our expertise, we're playing against high-level players to free our potential friend. The fact that we might lose one of our own is terrifying, and to make it worse, he's our key to unlocking more of the program. If we lose the tournament-"_

"Then we'll come up with a better plan." Snake spoke as he handed his paper to the henchmen.

" _And that would be?"_

Snake turned his head left and right, then he focused his attention to Lucario, tapping his middle and index finger on his temple. He wants to take this private.

The canine nodded and strengthen the telepathic link between them, leaning off his chair in anticipation.

" _We'll get the boxer back."_ Snake said to the shock of his friend. _"Jack doesn't give out the prizes immediately to the guests who won. He keeps it in the vault room of the casino for background checks to make sure no one cheated; a long wait period. That should be enough time for us to go to plan B if we happened to lose: we crack the lock, bypass the guards, and get the hell out of here before he notices."_

Lucario was flabbergasted, unsure of what to say. _"I thought you said Jack doesn't take any risks when it comes to his fortune?"_

" _Yes, when it comes to legality."_ Explained the solider. _"He focuses all his precautions and security on the games, and any potential trouble from this "court" he likes to moan about. Whiles his security is not lax, breaking in wouldn't be impossible."_

" _If security can be evaded, then why hasn't there been many thefts?"_ Lucario asked perplexed.

" _Jack likes to make rumors that his safe is uncrackable, and how his men are skilled beyond possible. That, combined with his reputation with how he deals with those who wronged him; discourages people to steal and keep them well behaved. He feels like he's in control."_

" _Speaking of Jack, did you see what he did in the ballroom? He turned the place into the beach. It's insane, do you really think he advanced his ability of shifting the casino into low-level reality warping?"_

" _I don't know for sure but I would believe it, I happened to know that he gains his strength and power from his cigar; said he casted a lot spells and used special herbs into it to make himself stronger."_

" _And you happen to know this because?"_

" _I chatted to Jack Grey at the bar here, he was drunk enough to let the secret slip through his bony jaw."_ Answered Snake. _"This is why they forbid you from drinking alcohol in military and government jobs. Gets you very_ _ **talkative.**_ _"_

The blue dog sighed, changing topic. _"Could be a good back-up plan, but let's focus on winning the game first before we resort to that. Don't want to cross any unnecessary red lines."_

Snake communicated in his normal voice and said: "Exactly, only activate the plan as an, 'what if'."

"That's all of them? Hand it here." Jack Grey's voice cut through the attention of the dog and solider, them along with everyone else. One of the shadow men gave the skeleton the documents. He did a quick read of the stack, then opened a drawer and slid the papers inside, closing the drawer as he stood up from the chair.

"Alright, get you're asses out of the seats. It's **ShowTime.** "

* * *

The skeleton led everyone into a large spiral staircase, they keep going up until Jack stopped at the door. "This floor is reserved for us, you'll have the room to yourselves 'till the end of tournament." He told his guests, the metal key glimmered in the light as he inserted it into the door. "This section is usually for V.I.P. only, so consider this a rare treat by yours truly. Just don't break anything." He said before he opened it all the way.

The roof was made of gold, the carpet held an elegant design of sparkles and stars, and the furniture was chiseled from the rarest of antique stones. Everything about this room was beautiful, even more than the lobby of the casino. Jack spent no expense.

"As I said before, we're going to hold the tournament here. I ordered my servants to set the tables, as well as to monitor the games in case something happens. So we're set. Does anyone else need anything before we start?" Asked Jack.

"Yes, I got a question." Said Wolf. "Whose sitting at each table? Is this thing going to be organized or random?"

"That's a good question my wild friend, a really great one. Instead of the brainless one's we got earlier." Jack scowled in Wario's direction. "For your answer, it's both."

"Both?" Snake folded his arms.

"The first round will be sorted into groups as I see fit." Jack flipped a coin in his hands, catching the small metal item between his fingers. "But during the rounds after that, you'll be able to choose freely."

"Well that's comforting." Snorted Bowser.

"Smashers, since all of you are our special guests tonight, I will assign the seven of you first." Jack pulled a list from his pocket and read it aloud. Wolf, you'll be at table 9, that's where all of our dog player's will be going.

"Dogs? They don't have the mental capacity to even play poker!" Argued Wolf.

"Tell that to them." He pointed to a small group of angry canines wearing suits and ties with his bony thumb.

"Pfft, whatever." The leader of Star Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Snake, you're going to share table 24, with the war veterans we have here."

"That's fine, at least I can speak to people of experience." Said Snake.

"Lucario and Ganondorf, tables 1 and 4 respectively, the mystic and tyrant section."

The jackal's ears perked up. _"Mystic and tyrant section?"_

"People who are tuned into their spiritual side and literal cartoonish evil dictators." Deadpanned Jack.

" _Evil dictators?! Why have-"_

Jack interrupted the blue canine. "Bowser, the monsters at table 30. Meta-Knight, the knights at table 6. And finally we have the soccer moms at table 50 for Wario."

"Wah!? You're putting me with the soccer moms? Why?" Spoke the outraged Wario.

"Because I don't like you, that's why." Mr. Grey answered with a straight face. The skeleton looked up from his lists to meet the Smashers eyes. "Go to your tables and wait, I've still have to sort out the rest of the guests."

" _Well, alright Jack. We'll… wait. Come on Smashers, let's prepare for our game."_ All of the fighters except Wario left, the fat mustached man had a face of disbelief.

"Everyone gets to have their own little group except me? That's so unfair! I deserve better not this bull-" Wario stopped when he noticed a green tentacle monstrosity standing right aside him. It towered menacingly over the biker and…

"Want to see my kids?" The creature spoke out as she pulled a string of pictures from her wallet.

Wario sighed and face-palmed his giant nose. "Dammit."

* * *

 **Hey guys, hope you like this chapter.**

 **If you see any mistakes, or have ideas on how to make this story better. Don't be afraid to tell. I'm open to all criticism.**

 **Till Next Time.**


	43. Chapter 43: Tournament: Part 1

**Hey guys, guess what? I found the 43rd chapter!**

 **It was hidden pretty hard in my computer, can't beileved that happened to be honest with you.**

 **But now that I got this chapter up, I can continue with the story as usual. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 43: Tournament: Part 1**

Waitresses dressed in plaid and black transverse the entire room like needy vultures, holding out drinks and food for the guests to enjoy as they play. Distracting everyone with their ripe bodies as if trying to charm them to failure. Some stupidly put their guard down allowing them to suffer horribly, but most generally maintained their composure to play their hand without incident.

Well not entirely actually.

Despite the tutorial that Jack Grey showed earlier, there were still some people who couldn't grasped the concept of the game. No matter how hard they tried. One of these people were Wario.

He's been a frequent visitor of the casino-hoping to line his pockets with those sweet green pieces of paper-but has never once touched the Poker tables. Wario didn't even try to get himself involved with Poker due to the fact that it was too much of a risk to handle. So naturally he avoided it like the plague and opted for easier gains such as slap-jack or those fancy slot-machines they have in the lobby.

But now the fat Smasher is self-learning, trying to understand the ropes. But sadly, there was another problem at hand.

"Oh Debra, he did not!" A women in a red dress said.

"Oh he did." Gossiped a green slime monster. "The nerve of that man is astounding."

For the entirety of the first round, Wario had to deal with the chitter-chatter coming from the out-worldly soccer moms at his table. You wouldn't believe what my husband did. Guess what I got from the mall today. You want to see a video of my kids playing in little league? It was static in the Smasher's ear, disorienting him with annoyance and headaches that caused him to play the game poorly. And this was only the first round.

' _God, kill me now.'_ Wario pulled his head over his ears. _'What I would do for some earmuffs.'_

One of the female guests turned her head. "Hey Wario, are you okay with-"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine, just leave me be." The fat man moaned, massaging his temples for vain comfort.

' _At least things are going smooth at least, hopefully when I win this game I'll get full ownership of the Treasure Box. That will be-'_

"Looks like Wario's out." Said the skeleton.

The biker opened his eyes in shock. "HUH?! What do you mean I'm out?!" Wario said in shock.

"It's just like a said before." Jack Grey was standing over the table in feverish oversight. "You wasted all of your chips and you lost. That means you're out."

"But I didn't even play yet! The biker threw his hands in the air out of frustration."

"Actually you did, sort of." Answered a female clown. "I asked you if you wanted to go all-in, and you said "yeah" multiple times. So the bet was accepted into the pot."

"And you lost spectacularly." Mocked the skeleton. "You got the High Card, which is the lowest deck possible, to add insult to injury, you lost the second person to lose the tournament. Very sad."

"Second?" Wario was caught off-guard. "Who's first?"

A bony hand pointed to a section that was separated from the rest of the tables, in a near deserted section of the room, was the large turtle king-frowning on a bench.

"Go there and wait till the tournament is finished, I'll address everyone when we're done here."

Wario was about to speak out, but realized it most likely wouldn't lead to anything good. So instead, he pushed his chair and walked over to Bowser. Sitting next to him on the bench.

"Hey." Said Bowser.

"Hey." Said Wario.

"How'd you lose?"

"Miscommunication. You?"

"Got too cocky." Bowser grumbled under his breath. "This is ridiculous, we didn't even get a good shot."

"I know."

"Now the rest will have to fight for us whiles we sit here in humiliation."

"I know."

"And if we lose, we'll have to come up with another plan for Little Mac."

"I know."

"Can't you stop saying 'I know'?"

"Fine." Wario replied as he took some garlic from his pockets, he licked his lips in delight as he swallowed it whole. Much to Bowser's disgust.

"I regret coming here. Should have stayed in bed." Lamented the brute as he buried his massive hands into his snout.

 _2 down. 5 more chances left._

* * *

He looked at his cards with just the eyes, tapping the table out of habit as he held the cards tightly in his grey-furred paw. The second round has now commenced; the room had shrunk down in size by a third with them forcibly being separated by remaining players. Now things are starting to heat up.

"Feeling the pressure wolfie?" Sneered a Doberman. "You don't look so hot."

"Yeah, more like chill with terror. Am I right?" Joked a Huskie. The suited dogs laughed in unison as they demeaned the commander of Star Wolf.

Wolf scoffed. "I wouldn't use that around me, fellas. I'm not something to be taken lightly."

"Oh, we know. It's a common trait of you wolves." Said the Dalmatian, gently swirling the wine in his glass. "Always raging at the world like a rabid animal. So pathetic."

"Pathetic?" The Smasher seethed in disdain. "We're the same species, **asshole**."

The Doberman smugly shook his head from side to side, waving his finger as if saying: not-so-fast. "Dogs and wolves are part of same the canine tree, but we're not the same."

"Where we come from, us dogs evolved from walking on four feet to become productive members of society, the closet you wolves ever got to evolution was killing yourself over food. **Very pathetic**." Said the Dalmatian.

"Yes, to be honest, I'm surprised you haven't cannibalize the guests around. I guess some fool trained you well." The Huskie pointed to the fighter.

Wolf caressed the gun holster with loud temptation, biting his lips as he tried to shake the thoughts of putting three burnt holes into their heads. _"Not worth it. Not worth it. These racists are small-fry."_

"Keep saying that. I'd be much more enjoyable to see your face after I beat you all."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure wolfie." The Doberman leaned on his chair. "You won against the Golden Retriever and Pug in our posse, but you still have to get through us."

"I can accomplish that." Said Wolf.

"You say that like it's a fact. Don't be so cocky buddy, two of your pals already got taken out." The leader was about to speak when he saw something occurring at another table. "Ah, make that three."

" _Three?!"_ Wolf turned his head around in a flash to see Snake congratulated several veterans at his station, then to which he push his chair in and began to walk away. "Snake?! You lost? What the hell happened?"

Snake walked over to Wolf's table, and leaned over one of the spare chairs. "I got outplayed. Those ex-soliders know how to play a hand."

"You're telling me-ugh, you're an ex-solider too right? They play cards all the time in the army. Shouldn't you be good at cards too?"

"No, I spent my time training and breaking myself to the best I can be. I didn't have time for games." Admitted Snake.

"Heh, you were saying wolfie?" The Doberman twisted his lips into the widest smile he gave in years and insulted the Smasher. "I couldn't hear you chocking on your own words."

Snake saw that Wolf's muscles were tensing up, shaking his arms as his paws clenched into fists. "Wolf, calm down. You know what's at stake."

"Oh look boys, the little feral wolf is angry. You can practically smell the smoke coming out of his ears." Chuckled the Huskie.

"Wolf? Wolf!" Snake spoke in a louder tone.

"You call yourself a true fighter? HA!" Boomed the Dalamation. "What a joke-"

*TWACCK*

A grey furred arm belong to the wild canine smash directly into the spotted dog's snout. The punch was powerful enough to tilt the chair, making it crash onto the floor alongside with the dog. The crowd gasped it heart out when they saw the fight breaking out.

"WOLF NO!" Snake attempted to grab Wolf from the collar but the canine was already on top of dog, pinning him down.

"You think I'm some sort of joke, a rabid animals that eats his own s*it?" Wolf tone was firm and crossed. He barred his fangs at animals as he raised his fist into the air. "Well allow me to showcase my savagery!"

He was taken off guard as something stopped him from punching. He looked up to see Jack Grey holding his paw. The man stared him down with grimace and distaste. He gave the cigar a puff before he spoke. "Do you remember the rules, son?"

When Wolf didn't answer, he continued. "It's illegal to threaten or harm your opponents while playing, if you wanted you fix, you should've waited after. You're banned from the tournament."

Wolf's eyes opened up in utter shock. "What?! No! Hold let me explain, they-"

"I don't care if what the reason is. You broke my rules, and now you're going to pay the price. Sit down in the waiting area."

"Hold on! Let me-"

The skeleton's eyes lit up in blue fire. "Did I stutter?" Wolf stayed silent, not wanting to make things worse than it already was.

Grey eye holes turned to normal. He faced the peering eyes with an almost presidential tone. "Everything's been taken care of folks. Get back in your seats, the tournament is still going." Jack Grey gave Wolf a final stare before walking elsewhere.

The canine was trying to recollect when Snake invaded his personal space. "What the hell, Wolf?!" Now we're down to three. You couldn't just hold on to your emotions could you?" The solider hissed in his face with impunity.

"It was an accident. I-"

"Stop. Just stop." Snake took a big breath, then spoke again. "Come with me to the waiting area. I don't want you getting to even more trouble. Follow me. **Now**." The American Smasher looked at Wolf briefly as he walked away from the tables.

Wolf went to follow as well, but before looking back at his group; the two dogs helping their friend off the floor. He gave them a piecing glare before he exited the area.

 _4 down, 3 more chances left._


	44. Chapter 44: Tournament: Part 2

**Chapter 44: Tournament: Part 2**

It was the final round.

Most of the participants had been eliminated by failed 'all-ins', untimely blinds, and god forbid: caught cheating. Everyone had gotten away from the rest area and circled around the last table. Watching intensely at the 4 remaining players: Lucario, Meta-Knight, Ganondorf, and one peculiar Doberman. Since the three Smashers were in cahoots with each other, they had no problems strategizing as they prepared to battle against the canine. They all whispered to each other.

" _Alright, this is good. All we have to do is to beat this guy, and we'll win."_ Said Lucario

"Don't be hasty, Lucario." Warned the knight. "We survived so far but at the same token, so had he."

"Wah, what's taking so long?! Make a move already!" Shouted an impatient Wario. He was about to speak further but the Gerudo King gave him a glare. "Silence boy. This is a game of strategy, it requires patience. You blabbering makes it more difficult for us all to win."

"Oh! You're boys are working together?" Questioned the green tentacle monster that Wario met earlier. "That's so sweet."

Wario rolled his eyes in a feeling between annoyance and disgust. "Yeah. Very cute." He said sarcastically.

"Wait! You guys are together?" The Doberman pointed to the Smashers at the table. "Mr. Grey, these players are colluding against me. Isn't that on grounds for expulsion?"

"Ha, heavens no!" Jack Grey laughed as he passed the cards along. "Pairing up is not illegal by any strength of the imagination. As long as they don't break the rules." He took a smoke of cigar before lightly blowing it in the dogs face. "By the way, the blinds have been risen by a thousand more."

Wolf didn't have the strength to hide his smile, it was admitting funny seeing the mutt squirm under the haze of grey smoke.

" _A thousand!?"_ Exclaimed Lucario. _"Why did you raise the blinds so high this time?"_

The casino owner was casually flipping a coin with his bony hand as he explained his reasoning to the Pokémon. "The four of you have been playing it too safe, I'm _raising_ the stakes to make the game so more interesting. I was getting so bored from watching, I'm afraid my eyes would go _blind._ Ah? Ah? Get it?"

He raised his arms and shoulders in the air, waiting for the acknowledgement of the pun from the players. But was heavily disappointed when they stayed silent. "Eh. Well f*ck you too. The blinds been raised and I'm not lowering. Deal with it."

"I need to evaluate." Meta-Knight said to himself as he counted all of their team's poker chips. His eyes widened. "Lucario and I are below the mark, which means we both will have to go all-in."

" _But only one person could win the pot."_ Remarked Lucario, tapping the table out of nervous habit.

"One of you are getting cut, at the minimum." Ganondorf took another look at the cards currently being faced up on the green felt fabric: There was a jack and a 2 of hearts on the table, Lucario had a four of diamonds and club of 3's, Meta-Knight had and ace and a queen, and he himself had two jacks. He didn't know what the Doberman had but judging on the expression on his snout, it probably wasn't anything of value.

" _Don't have any other choice do we?"_

"Unless you forfeit, then I'm afraid so." The knight replied to Lucario. "What about you Ganon?"

"I'll survive for this round. If you both should fall, I'll carry the mantle."

" _Let's discuss that after the pot."_ He sighed. _"I pray it goes in our favor."_

The dog shook his head. "Better than nothing. I bet." He exchanged a decent portion of his chips before settling back onto his seat again.

"I'll bet as well." Ganondorf reshuffled his chips around. "I feel victory is in my reach."

"Yeah, for this round at least!" Bowser remarked to Ganon's displeasure.

" _Meta-Knight and I are going all in."_ Lucario pushed his and Meta-Knights chips to the center. The pot had grown so large in a matter of moments.

"Time for the results." He did a snap to the dealer, who gladly placed the third card down.

Another jack.

"Alright let me see your cards." Announced the dealer. "Yes. Yes. I see. The man with red hair has won the pot."

Ganondorf was about to smugly smiled until he realized who lost.

"Both of you got out?!" Announced Snake. "Dammit. Now it's all up to Ganondorf."

" _No. This can't be real. We came so far!"_ The Pokémon felt his head in panic when his round blue friend put a hand on his shoulder.

"We haven't lost yet. Don't give out hope." He turned to the tyrant king. "Do what you have to, everything hangs on you winning."

"Oh, trust me. I have no plans for failing." Ganondorf gave a confident smirk, when he was ready, he ordered another glass of champagne.

They weren't budging an inch. Both players were at neck-at-neck, shuffling the cards in their hands-waiting for the opportunity to pounce the other.

Time seemed to blur as the patrons kept their attention on the game, there was a clock somewhere in the room but no one was willing to even blink to miss the invigorating action. Except for Jack.

"Alright, this is taking too long." He took another breath of his cigar. "I know you guys want to play to the best of your ability, but can you get this over with? It's getting old at this point."

" _What's with the sudden change in tone? I thought you loved Poker?"_ Questioned Lucario.

"Not when it's going at a snail's pace." The skeleton place three cards on the felt, and upturned them. "The quicker the winner wins, the sooner I get to relax."

The Gerudo looked down; an ace, a king, and a 10. All diamond. He observed his own hand: two 10's, one a club and the other a heart. He would get a full house at the minimum, or four of a kind if he's lucky.

Ganon raised his head, the Doberman was shifting nervously in his chair; he appeared to even shrink back further under his gaze. The king smiled. Time to go in for the kill.

"All in." The green Smasher pushed all his chips into the center, getting a couple of whistles and claps from the crowd. But then his smugness turned to confusion.

This time it was Doberman smiling, he leaned in his chair with a guilty smirk. Then he realized his mistake. "All in."

"Wait, I want to re-exchange my chips!" Ganondorf said, but Jack Grey waved the finger.

"Too late, your turn has passed." He tapped the table with his finger. "Now show your hands."

Ganon, through clenched teeth, uncovered his cards and slid it forwards. "A full house, not bad. Think you can top that poochy?" Jack asked the Doberman.

The mutt flipped his pair of cards and gave it to the casino owner, winking with pride to Ganondorf as he drank his glass of alcohol.

"A queen and a jack. Both diamonds. It's a royal flush."

The cigarette fell out of Snake's mouth. "That means…"

"Yep!" Jack Boosted with pride. "OUR DOBERMAN IS THE WINNER!"

The dog ejected himself out of the chair and bowed for the audience, getting cheers from all around. To rub it in, he gave Wolf a smug wink, prompting the grey canine to snarl with fury.

"Thank you all so much! It's been wonderful participating in this fantastic game you got here Mr. Grey."

"Well I'm glad you feel that way Danny." He patted the dog on the shoulder as a sign of good will. "You'll get your prize by the end of the day, I'll store it in the vault for safe keeping."

' _So that's his name.'_ Thought Wolf. _'What a tool.'_

" _Hold on a second!"_ Lucario slid past the guests to confront the owner. _"What about the Newcomer?!"_

"The boxer?… hm, what was his name?" He snapped his pale white fingers out of habit. "Oh that's right! Little Mac. Yeah he's going to Danny over here." Jack gestured to the Doberman.

" _Jack, listen! We need Mac back at our base. Come on, there must be something we can work out!"_

The undead rubbed his chin. "Well, if our dog-friend over would like to share his prize…"

"Not a chance." Danny said immediately. "I'm not splitting what I earned, not my fault you couldn't keep up."

"Guess that's it. No deals." Said Jack.

" _But-"_

" _No deals_." Grey spoke politely yet firmly. "Learn to live by it."

"I'm sorry this happened to you boys." Apologized the tentacle creature. "I know how much you all wanted to win."

"Thanks… I guess." Wario took out a clove of garlic out of his trouser and took a bite. "This sucks."

The skeleton turned on the microphone he was carrying in his back-pocket and put it to his mouth. "I NOW DECLARE THIS GAME, TO BE OVER!"

Chuckles and clapping swallowed the silence that was remaining in the room. All of the Smashers were either shocked to the core, or dismayed with self-guilt. As all of this was happening, Ganon was sitting up right. Taking a whiff of air before uttering out two words.

"*sigh*… well. F*ck."

"What the hell was that?!" Shouted Wolf. After the tournament, the Smashers found rest at the food court section of the casino. All of them were sitting at a table, discussion the future.

" _What do you mean?"_

"You can't be this forgetful, Lucario. The game! We almost won, and then we lost so hard!"

"Because of chance, Look." Said Snake, pressing his hands against the table. "We weren't able to win the game, but that doesn't mean we give up. Just need to find another way."

"But how? That dog clearly stated he didn't want to split." Piped Wario. "Not to mention if we try stealing it from the mutts hands Jack will be on us in a flash. I don't know how we're going to beat this."

Ganondorf was about to give his thoughts on the matter when he saw the treasure box being moved by two of Grey's servants. There was a newly pasted sticker on the container that read: **TO VAULT.**

"We can't steal it front of their eyes, but what if we stole it under their noses?"

"Under their noses?" Replied Bowser. "What are you smoking?"

"The Newcomer will be stored in the vault until the end of the day, if we free our friend with the alerting anyone. We can escape scot free."

Lucario eyelids sprung open like window blinders. _"We can't steal, Ganon. We are heroes-"_

"Not all of us are."

" _Can it Wolf. We are an organization about doing what is right. If we go through with this. We'll set a bad example to the entire WOT."_

"And if we don't, Little Mac will end up as a prize. Fated to never be alive again." Argued Ganon. "Besides, most people on this planet are not even aware they're even breathing. I think they wouldn't mind."

"I hate to agree, but if we refuses. One of us will be left behind." Meta-Knight stood on his red chair. "Is it really worth abandoning one of our own, for a walking corpse who let this to happen in the first place?"

Lucario thought it over. After some deep searching and cheek biting. He gave. "Alright. Alright. You're right. We can't stand idle for this evil."

"So we're breaking into the vault? I'm in. This might be a good day after all." Said Wolf.

"I think it's safe to say that everyone's in. But we have a problem." Announced the solider. "We have to plan and execute a heist in a single day, if we want this to go smoothly, we need someone who has brains."

"There's R.O.B." Proposed Bowser. "We haven't told him anything about what happened. But his heart is a bleeder. He would get on board in a flash if it involves saving someone."

"So we talk to R.O.B. and go on from there? Do all of you agree?" If the countless nods didn't tell him what, nothing will. He took out the communicator out of his utility belt, and pressed the command button.

"R.O.B., there's been a change of plans."


	45. Chapter 45: The Air Assassin: Part 1

**Chapter 45: The Air Assassin Part 1**

Brawler was keeping his eyes on the screen, learning to juggle his new water and earth powers. The constant sound of soft pounding clogging his ears. "Oh my god. What the hell are you doing?!" Turning his head, he could see Swordfighter practicing his fighting skills on pillows, with Gunner as his audience.

"I'm practicing." Said the blonde.

"Again?!" Spoke Brawler. "For how long?"

"When you started training with your powers." Answered the female Mii.

"You know, you're going to tear yourself apart if you keep practicing. Ever try taking a break? It'll do wonders." Lectured Brawler.

"If I want to best person I can be, I need to sharpen my skills." Sword kicked the pillow to the side. "It's kind of hypocritical when you say that, even though you been "trying out the combos" for hours."

"It's been less than an hour, get it right." Said Brawler. "Why are you getting defensive all of a sudden. From a guy like you, I expected more confidence."

"None of your business. Are you going to play or are you going to waste all of our time by not proceeding?" He gestured to the entire room before tilting his head to the side, as if to say: "What's the hold up?"

The fist-fighter grumbled. "Yeah, keep being a ass. Just makes me motivated to shove my foot up yours. Gunner come over here, I need a second pair of eyes when I'm fighting the boss."

"Oh! Sure. Coming right away." She hurried to the chair that Brawler was sitting and placed herself on the floor. Leaving Sword off to his own devices. When everything was in order, he pressed "start."

It started off with a scene of Kung Fury sprinted away from a horde of angry people. "Though he cherished the victory, the same couldn't be said for the subjects of the Water Princess." Said the voice. "Once he exited to the main road, he discovered he was surrounded by an angry mob, wanting to tear his body apart like tissue paper. He ran away, miraculously without as much as a scratch on him."

The fighter was walking through the night, passing by a farm. "Unfortunately, he burned out all of his energy making his great escape. With his fuel exhausted, he collapsed to the dirt, unconscious." Kung Fury had slumped to the floor in a cold sweat, still alive, but barely holding on. In the distance, a man from the shadows slowly came forth to the fighter.

The narrator continued, "Waking up he found himself on a clean bed. Wonder what happened to him, he searched the house and found his savior. A lone farmer eating breakfast in the living room."

"Oh, good to see you're awake." Said the farmer, he was wearing blue overalls, a green shirt, and had a brown beard. "I was worried you'd croaked in your sleep."

"Sleep? How are you and what did-" He suddenly remember last night. "Hell, did I pass out?" He said to himself.

"Yep, you did. Right in my front yard. Gave me quite the shock, you already looked like a ghost." He slid his bowl into the sink and went to raise a hand. "My name is Ely by the way, nice to meet you."

Fury was hesitant to do so. He didn't like interacting with strangers, but given the fact that this man saved his life, he obliged. "The name's Kung Fury, the most famous fighter in the world."

"Really, never knew."

"You never knew?"

"No."

"I'm among the most talked about people in the planet, (Or at least I was.) How could you not have heard of me?"

"I don't really pay attention to the media, in fact I don't watch TV at all. Got too much work to do."

"I see." Fury acknowledged, he clicked the tongue in his mouth before he'd formed the words in his mind. "This may seem like an obvious question but, am I in the farm lands?"

"Yep, rural country over here. Ha." The farmer noticed the frown "What's with the sad look on your face, is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, I'm just uh… Think back what happened, before I came here I mean. Still can't believe I survived."

"Survived what?"

"It's nothing, you probably wouldn't understand."

"I can understand given context, wait hold on." The farmer narrowed his eyes. "You're not a criminal or an escaped convict are you?"

"No, at least not legally."

"Not legally?"

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

"I don't feel like this is the best time-"

"I took a huge risk letting you in here, the least you can do is give me a run down. You don't have to be specific. Only a run-down."

"Ok, but I doubt you believe me."

"He told his woeful tale to the farmer, in hopes he wouldn't turn against him. Friends were rare in times like this, would be bad luck to lose one right now." Said the narrator.

"Wait, You're the guy who single-handedly took down the Water Princess and the Earth King?!" Sputtered the farmhand.

"Yes, sounds unbelievable but that is the truth." Kung Fury generated a clump of dirt and a ball of water in his hands. Proving his point. "I'm going after those bastards."

"You mean the four elemental masters? They're quite powerful to handle you know."

"Well so am I." Fury reaffirmed. "But I'm sorry I intervened in your affairs. I intend to unleash my wrath to those that have wronged me. For that I give my apologies. I hope you do well on this farm." He was about to turn towards the door when the farmer stopped him.

"Wait, you said you're going after all of them right?"

"Yes, got two more to go."

"And by chance are you going to fight against the Air Assassin next?"

"As matter if fact he is, I'm going to meet him at his own lair and end him with my own bare hands."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"He takes refuge in the clouds in the sky. I don't even need a map to find it."

"But do you know how to get there?"

"Um, no. But I'll find a way. I always do."

"No, you'll never reach him with that way of thinking. You need a specialized ride to get there. A hot air balloon to be exact."

"Why a hot air balloon? Why not something like a plane."

"The cloud city shoots down any flying object that comes near the area." Replied the farmer. "The only vehicle they allow in, is the balloons. There's no other way."

"But the tickets for those things are expensive." Said Fury. "I don't have the cash to do that."

"You don't, but I do."

"Huh?"

The farmer went to the drawer right by the window and pulled out a card pass and 50 bucks in cash. "Here take this."

"You are helping me, I thought you said that you didn't want to take risks with me?"

"That was before I knew who you were."

"But why go through the effort?" Questioned the fighter.

The farmed hung his head in somber. "I didn't used to be just a farmer, me and my folks used to own an entire plantation house, it was the best thing we ever had."

"Let me guess, the Air Assassin royally screwed you?"

"Killed my entire family because they weren't playing along; lost the place because of him too." His left hand crunched up, twitching before relaxing. "I'll never be able to avenge my legacy, I can never stand a chance. But maybe you can. Please I beg of you. Make this right for the entire world, and bring that bastard to heavenly justice."

"Believe me, there will be a reckoning. I know we just met, but I can assure you this. I won't let you down."

"Here's everything you need." Said the bearded man. "Allow the spirit of justice to wash over this land once more."

* * *

"Saying his farewells, he went to the nearest balloon port and got first class all the way to Havenly, the city that was under control of the Air Assassin and his cronies." A still picture of a hot-balloon was floating near a city upon a cloud was shown. "He made his presence known to the staff and was quickly escorted to the mansion where his foe was residing." A cutscene of a white van driving towards the mansion was shown.

"Man that mansion got nothing on ours." Said Brawler.

"Yeah it's way smaller in comparison."

"What are you two going on about?" Sword walked over, feeling quite tired from his non-ending practice.

"Cutscenes. Hm? Sword how long have you been doing your practice thing? Did you even take a break?"

"No. I don't have the time." Answered Sword, he pushed the chest right between Brawler's chair and Gunner and sat down on the furniture. "I made great strides."

"More like great odor." Said Brawler. "You smell like ass."

"Sorry, I didn't take account for the sweat."

"You can wash up in the bathroom after this fight." Suggested Gunner.

"Yeah, that be nice."

"Zip it." The fist-fighter pointed to the screen. "It's starting."

Kung Fury strolled out to an open field, very far from the premises. It appeared to be at the outside of the mansion, which according to the eye looked like a garden of some sort. Plants of every kind surrounded the area, ancient statues of granite and stones were placed like altars, and the blue sky was clearer than glass. If the fighter wasn't under immense circumstances. He would be in awe.

"What do you think of my little kingdom?" A deep voice spoke out. "I've been busy with tending my plants."

The man wore a yellow cloak that covered most of his body, only his face was uncovered, but it enshrouded in darkness. A black-lined insignia of wind blowing through clouds was placed at the very center of his chest. This was without a doubt the Air Assassin.

"What do you think?" He asked again.

"Thought it looked good until I realized you owned the place. I shouldn't be surprised, everything you guys touch eventually dies." Said Fury

"Quite virtuous coming from your deprived situation, are you telling me you're a good person." Questioned the assassin, walking closer into the clearing.

"Not sure, but I definitely know I'm better than you." Fury matched the assassin's length. Right at the respectable distance. "You can quit with the "holier than thou" attitude. I won't bother me one bit. I'm not fighting just for myself."

"Oh, you're not? Than who may I ask?"

"For everyone of course. The faster you fiends perish, the sooner the world can start again. Teachers, soldiers, _farmers._ They all suffered under your hands, it's about time you pay for it."

"Hm." The assassin was uninterested, he lazily glanced an eye at the fighter. "I thought this was about your desire for revenge?"

"Oh trust me, revenge is not off the table. Not one bit." Fury generated chunks of earth on his left hand and swirling waves of water in his right. "I learned to think about the bigger picture."

"Whether it may be, it'll be meaningless in the long run." Cyclones of air surrounded his arms like a miniature tornado. "Your story ends here. Shame I have to put you down."

"I like to see you try." Taunted Fury. The assassin levitated in the air, sitting cross-legged as a cyclone shielded his body.

"Guys. Call me crazy, but for some reason. I think this battle will get a little crazy." Said Brawler.


	46. Chapter 46: The Air Assassin Part 2

**Chapter 46: The Air Assassin Part 2**

The air danced around them like an out of control carousel. Grass, flowers, and the occasional piece of trash was being held hostage by the hellish winds. Flicking just a mere finger, the assassin propelled the debris at Kung Fury.

The fighter extended a hand towards a gold plaque attached to one of the statues. Using a gripping motion, the metal plate was ripped out of the stone. He used akin to a shield, it was impractical but it got the job done in blocking the projectiles.

His skill was good, but he couldn't stand a chance against the flying log hitting him against the chest and pinning him closer to the floor.

"You may be raw in power, but you lack in skill." The air master directed a hand at a rusty wheelbarrow and made it flew towards his opponent.

Kung rolled the log off him quickly and pressed both his hands on the ground. A wall of solid dirt blocked the flying missile from turning his body to a bloody imprint on the grass.

The fighter leaned his back against the wall, holding his hand ribs. Nothing broken but it hurts like hell, he'll live but he can't afford to play around anymore. He needs be ruthless.

He tore several chunks out from the ground and launched the earth at the floating man. His attack was slow but the wind made it even worse. The assassin had no trouble dodging the lazy clumps as he shook his head in disappointment.

"I missed him!" Shouted Brawler.

"Try the stone; it might work!" Suggested Gunner.

Fury shattered a stone column and fired all the pieces, just like before it got slowed, and misdirected by the wind.

"That won't work little rabbit. Are you even trying or are you joking around?" He extended both hands at the dirt wall, the winds were intensifying and pushing hard against his construct. The cover was wobbling; any further of this torment and it'll break.

"Your earth powers are not effective against him." Said Sword.

"Let's try water then." Brawler said, clicking the button on his controller.

The rocks around his wrists morphed in globs of water, he compressed the liquid hard into his hands. When he found an opportunity, he projected a solid beam of dense water.

The beam hit straight on the mark, upon hitting his stomach, the assassin stopped levitating and landed on the ground with a painful thud.

Kung Fury maneuvered around the earth barrier and dashed towards his fallen foe. To get there faster, he generated a stream of water under his feet and rode the puddle all the way to the assassin. To which he kicked him far into the air. The moment Kung did, the winds went idle.

It was quite amusing seeing him thrashing in the sky like a fish out of water, but like anything good, it doesn't last long. The Air Assassin took charge of his momentum and landed on his two bent legs. He was surprised, but not deterred.

"Impressive move, but you're not a true fighter yet." Patronized the assassin.

"I'll be, once I take your elemental soul." Fury said, doing his best to intimidate.

"Over my cold dead body."

"Exactly."

"I had enough of your immaturity."

The winds went wild again, only stronger. The master of air twirled his arms above his head with fluidity. Three small tornadoes manifested from his palms, Fury looked on as the cyclones hovered off of his palms and headed towards him.

"They're coming in fast." Said Sword.

"How are we going to dodge? The tornadoes are coming at us in every direction!" Pointed out Gunner.

On the stage, Brawler could see what she meant; from the left, right, and center the spinning cyclones of air was closing him off. To make matters worse, his back was behind a stone wall. This meant even if he wanted to, he can't run away.

"Just panicking! I'll think of something. Dammit! It's coming too fast!" His chance to evade was shrinking even further. The tornadoes were almost here. "Screw it, I'm going over."

"Brawler, I don't think-"

"Can it. I'm playing, so shut it!" Brawler interrupted Swordfighter, he commanded Kung Fury to jump over the center tornado in a leap of faith. His plan would have worked if his foot didn't get caught by the rim of the cyclone.

The fighter was immediately pulled in the tornado; being thrown around like a confused hamster in an out of control ball. Even though Brawler's character was being attacked, Gunner and Swordfighter couldn't resist the urge to laugh at his predicament. After all, the damage animation was pretty funny.

"I was going to say don't do it because the tornado was too high to jump, but this is so much better than what I expected." The blade welder playfully punched Brawler in the shoulder, showcasing his unexpected sense of sarcasm to the fist-fighter's annoyance. "Gold star, Brawler."

Brawler silently snarled. "If my two hands weren't attached to this controller, I swear to god."

Kung Fury was thrown from the tornado into a stone pillar. The foundation cracked immensely when he made contact; losing a considerable amount of health. It hurt so much trying to move his body, but he had no choice. Now wasn't the time to rest.

He crawled, and then rolled to the side to avoid a brick propelled by the Air Master. The fighter crouched on his knees and fired three spheres of water from his fingertips. His training must have been paying off; all of the balls hit their mark on the assassin's chest and abdomen.

The hooded figured stepped back a bit momentary before shaking off the pain before he increased the air pressure. The winds were so strong it pushed Fury all the way to the same pillar he crashed into, fracturing it even further.

Now he was sure his one of his ribs were broken, the pain was only getting more intense and it wasn't stopping. He thought how he could mend his wounds but was taken aback when a screwdriver missed his head and embedded himself in the center of the crack. He looked up the see the assassin narrowed him down like a hunter lining his sights on his prey. He was not playing.

" _The winds are too strong on the lower ground; I can't fight him like this."_ Fury used the pillar to pull him upward, and saw the very top of the structure. _"But maybe the high ground is a different story."_

The fighter formed picks made of ice and used it to climb up the pillar, the winds made his task very challenging atop of a broken rib, but he carried on with eyes watering and a clenched jaw.

When Kung Fury reached the top, he threw his picks aside and generated cold energy around his wrists. The ice crystals danced through the air like lightning as touched the assassin; encasing the lower-half of his body in ice. "The devil?! Argh, my legs are numb from the cold!" The Air Master took out his knife and chiseled away at the frozen water holding him in place.

"He's stationary." Observed Sword. "I guess you get a free shot."

"I know, and I'm going to relish this." Said Brawler.

Before Kung Fury could get another shot, the pillar wasn't able to hold out anymore and began to tumble. "God, not now!" Shouted the fist-fighter as he fiddled around with the controls. Fury landed on his back hard but at least he break any more bones in his body.

"Move out of the way, it's going to crush you!" Gunner Warned.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Replied the fist-fighter Mii.

Kung Fury's eyes widened, and he quickly rolled out of the way. If he was off by a few seconds more, the pillar would have flattened him like a pancake. The shattered debris somewhat reminded him of his old life, he used to be high and mighty, but he was toppled over and his legacy crumbled. He'll may never regain his glory, or truly give those that have been ruined by his enemies, peace. But thing is for certain. He will carry out his long-dued retribution.

He created a make-shift sled out of ice and propelled the construct forward, turning his right arm into snowy battering ram. The assassin saw Fury coming and worked even faster to get out of his cold imprisonment, but failed. Fury's white arm crashed hard into the aerokinetic's legs; breaking both of them in a solid punch.

The Air Assassin howled in undesirable pain, his legs were bent and twisted in unnatural directions, unable to feel his toes.

"YOU FIEND!" Shouted the boss, crying tears of pain. "I can't feel anything!"

"I bet. Your bottom half is more twisted than a pretzel." Kung Fury calmly walked to the fallen assassin, shifting his snow ram into sword made of ice. "You've been stomping on the face of the world for too long, it's poetic really, you had this coming." He raised his arm back in preparation to land the final strike. "Allow me to end you story."

"NO!" A blast of air came from his fingertips, pushing the fighter hard to the ground.

"I don't need to legs to destroy you." The assassin floated in the air again, but his stance was different from usual, he wasn't calm and collected as before. He's livid.

The air around the garden twisted and turned into a large cyclone, but only much powerful than before. Everything was getting torn up; pillars were being tumbled over, flowers were being ripped from the ground, even the windows from the mansion shattered from strong air pressure.

The assassin pointed his arm at Fury and levitated in the air. He was so high up.

"What's he doing?" Asked Swordfighter, tapping his sword nervously.

"I think we're near the end-game." Said Gunner.

The fighter of water and earth was slammed into the debris flying in the air. Brawler felted frustrated and humiliated at the prospect of his character being tossed around like a fragile chew toy.

When Kung met contact with a floating pillar in the raging winds of the cyclone. His face was smashed ten-fold into the stone, gaining a purple-black imprint on his eye and a bloody imprint on the stone.

"His eye isn't looking so good." Gunner had to look away from the action on screen, she could deal with the fights in the mansion, but not the gruesome display in the game, "Oh no, I think it's caved in!"

When the assassin was finished inflicting his torture, he crunched his hands. Solidifying around his throat, the air formed a collar of sorts, literally chocking the life out of him.

Fury tried to free himself by attacking his opponent with a spray of water, but was shocked to see the beam being obliterated by the wind. His water was not effective anymore. The air master had the fighter exactly where he wants him.

"I came so far, I'm not dying to this bitch!" Brawler raged.

"Hit him with the water again!" Gunner sat upright on the floor, holding her breath.

"No! I'll only get intercepted by the tornado." Sword pointed out. "We can't rely on projectiles."

"Then what else can we do?"

"We break the collar."

"It's made of air! How would he break it?"

"We freeze it."

"It's made of air not water, Sword. Even if he managed to do it, the bad guy will just make another collar."

Brawler was drowning out the voices; finding a way out was more important. His character's health was slowly draining, and struggling to take off the choking collar seems to make it only worse. If he can't rely on attacking or tampering, then there is only on option left. Element Mimicry has to be it.

But Earth would be too slow to effective target the assassin; and water and ice is now losing its appeal. Is he really doomed?

No. There is the other derivative of water; vapor.

Vapor was not in his good taste, in his opinion, it was fast but too weak compared to the powers. The lone redeemable thing about vapor was how Kung Fury was whenever he'd used it. If that same principal works here then…THAT'S IT!

"SHUT UP!" Brawler yell, his booming voice stunned his friends to silence.

"What-"

"I have a plan."

Kung Fury, at the behest of Brawler's commands, turned his whole body into super-heated vapor. With his intangible form, he easily slipped pass the collar, and was already traveling the winds of the cyclone to his target.

The assassin gritting his teeth, tried to solidify the air around the steam in order to capture his prey, but Kung Fury proved to be too fast for the air master. Through the actions of god or just plain luck, the character managed to ride the wind currents to reach the boss. When he was in range, he reverted back to his normal form and slammed into the floating fiend.

The amount of force generated of the attack was so great; it pushed Kung Fury and the Air Assassin not only off the mansion, but the city itself. The cloud civilization shrunk further and further as the two began to fall faster and faster to earth down below.

"YOU FOOL!" The assassin was wrestling to get the fighter off his person, but was unsuccessful. "You'll kill both of us!"

"Not if I kill you first." Fury wrapped his hands around the boss's throat, and began to strangle him the same way he did to him. "If your body expires before then, I'll gain your soul. _Your air soul_. The air would save me from fate if I overtake it's master." Pointed out the fighter.

The masters flipped and turned as they fell. The landscape was becoming visible now; a dead forest burn to a crisp with ash swirl around, imitating the pits of hell itself.

"Come on. JUST. DIE!" Kung Fury increased his grip on his enemy's throat. The pressure was too much for his wind pipe to bear, and consequently got crushed. He can no longer breathe properly anymore. His fate was sealed.

The assassin was done for, and he knew it. But still, if he's going to die, the fighter is going to be dragged down with him.

The master of air head-butted Kung Fury, making his opponent let go. Then, he quickly formed a blade of air and mercilessly sliced off Fury's hand.

He didn't feel anything at first, just lost feeling in his right arm. Then, his flesh burned alight. Kung screamed with pain, the most horrendous pain he felt in his lifetime. Looking at the bloody stump only made the fighter panic more. He's broken.

"DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!" Gunner shouted, jumping onto her feet. "How did… what?-"

"I can't control my character, so this has to be a scripted event!" The sweat on Brawler's forehead slid down like the rain on an umbrella. "Come on, give me back my control!"

"Look!" Sword pointed out.

The assassin by instinct, caressed his own neck; face turning blue, then finally. No movement.

A ball of yellow light flew out of the air master before he floated out of view. It did several rotations around Fury, the finally it went inside of him.

 **Congratulations! You collected the soul of the Air Assassin.**

 **This will allow you to gain the power of Aerokinesis.**

 **You got three elements, one more to go.**

Kung Fury felt revitalized by the power he gained, but it just temporarily numbed the pain, he's still short of a limb.

"Uh, Brawler. I think it's about time you start practicing with your air powers." Gunner said.

"Eh? Oh crap."

The ground was becoming larger, any minute now Kung Fury will have date in hell with the earth. The fighter used his remaining hand in hopes he will cheat death again. A continuous stream of air slowed his speed and momentum to a lesser degree. It won't be a soft landing, but at least he has a chance.

His body slammed into the dirt, everything hurts. He heard another sound of something crashing by, most likely the assassin, but he was unable to see. It was nighttime, or was his vision fading? He couldn't tell, everything hurts.

The last thing Fury saw, was a man towering above him, with his head on fire.

* * *

 **Here's the new chapter, like always be free to review and i'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.**

 **Till next time.**


	47. Chapter 47: Planning

**Chapter 47: Planning**

It's cold and rough, Meta-Knight thought, which he expected of course; traveling throughout the casino's vent system would do that to you. He didn't like the prospect of crawling around like a rat inside the walls, but there was no other option.

They had no chance of breaking into the vault if they didn't even know what lies ahead inside; they need more information to go on before they can even plan. Everything seemed bleak until Snake suggested they go into Jack Grey's office. If they were to hack into his computer, they would not only get the info they desperately need, they would have access to the casino's mainframe.

However, the fighters couldn't just walk into his office of course, if the special lock on the door was a problem, the two servants guarding the door would certainly be. The other way inside was the vent system, and since Meta-Knight was the only Smasher small enough to fit in, he was chosen for this part of the mission. Snake hooked up his codec to the communicator and gave it to the knight before he set off, that way, Meta-Knight would have direct contact with R.O.B. and the rest of his team. All his friends blessed him good will as he finally went to do his duty.

" _[Take a left, then a right, then take a left again. And then continue to go straight.]"_ R.O.B. gave the directions as he trudged on; his anxiousness was easily discerned from his voice. Meta-Knight didn't blame the robot, when he heard that they failed the tournament. R.O.B. went into a fit of hysteria. Lucario had to dampen the communicator's speakers with his paws so they all wouldn't be deaf.

He calmed down eventually, and the fighters told them the plan. He hated the prospect of breaking the rules, but he went along with it anyway.

"Alright, what's the next step of directions?" Meta-Knight said.

" _[According to the construction plans I have here, you have to go left, go straight, go right, and go straight again.]"_ R.O.B. replied.

" _How close is Meta-Knight to the office?" Snake voice spoke through the communicator._

" _[He's getting closer. I can't say how long it would take, but I'm certain he would get there soon.]"_

"R.O.B., may I ask, how did you manage to get the plans to Jack's Casino in the first place?"

" _I can explain that."_ Snake said. _"Remember back in the day when you left in your ship to explore more parts of the WOT, that were talking about expanding the mansion a bit more?"_

"Yes, I remember clearly. What about it?"

" _You may be surprised to hear, but we actually got the resources for the expansion from Jack Grey."_

"Jack Grey?" Meta-Knight stopped his movements momentarily, then shook his head and continued on. "What series of events allowed you to gain a share of his resources, the skeleton is not charitable fellow."

" _[We sorted out a deal with him, you weren't there at the time, but the casino suffered major damage from an earthquake in the area. The outside was fine, but the interior was somewhat destroyed. We offered our services in turn he helped us with our mansion afterwards. He gave us the plans, we helped him rebuild, he helped us expand, and everyone benefited. The mansion wouldn't be as massive as it is today without his help.]" R.O.B. said._

" _Yeah, that's true. I almost feel guilty about doing this." Admitted Snake._

"Then what's preventing you from regretting fully?" Questioned Meta-Knight.

" _Grey's selfish intentions pushed us into this situation; no one messes with our family and gets away with it."_ The solider declared. This is why Meta-Knight respects Snake in the first place; Snake alongside Lucario are among the most honorable fighters in the Super Smash Brothers. Those two are the closet he ever had to a brotherly connection with.

The Smasher kept going until he came across a metallic grate, peeking through the bars he could see a desk made of gold, a large painting of Jack Grey on one of the walls, and a nice laptop with a picture of a skull on it. "I found the office."

" _[Oh, thank circuits.]"_ R.O.B.'s robotic sigh was easily heard. _"[Is there anyone inside?]"_

"No, I don't see a single soul in here." Meta-Knight said as he took a second look. "Is Jack Grey nearby the door?"

" _The only things I see are the guards; no bastard skeleton in sight."_ Snake was positioned on the floor below the top floor, hiding in plain sight as he pretended to sightsee when he was really keeping an eye on the door. _"I'll let you know if anything happens."_

"Then allow me to fulfill my duty." Meta-Knight used his cape to teleport into the office; the moment he materialized he took a seat in Grey's chair and contacted the robot. "I'm in the office, what's the next step?"

" _[We need to get inside his computer.]"_

"There's a login, we're going to need a password."

" _[We don't need a password.]"_ R.O.B. said _"[Plug the communicator in the USB port and I'll handle the rest.]"_

"As you wish." Meta-Knight attached the device to the side of the laptop; several seconds went by as the screen glitched, several documents, video feeds, and pop-ups were placed as across the glass.

" _[I'm in. My god. I can see everything!]"_

"What do you see?"

" _[Everything.]"_ The robot repeated. _"[Blueprints to the vault, direct camera feed, even got some password over here. I feel like a child taking a peek at presents before Christmas Day!]"_

"That's nice R.O.B., but can you get the information?" Asked Meta-Knight impatiently they didn't have the time to be amazed.

" _Oh, right. I'm going to copy the data now, might take a minute."_ The pixilated junk was replaced by a download bar, it wasn't going at light speed but at least it was going at a steadfast pace.

" _We got code red on our hands!"_ Snake warned through the communicator.

"What's wrong?" Meta-Knight questioned.

" _Jack Grey is coming up the elevator, he's coming towards the office!"_

"What! No. R.O.B. complete your download at once!"

" _[I'm doing my best; this is the fastest I can do.]"_ The bar was halfway.

" _He's exiting the elevator and now is heading toward the office."_

"R.O.B.!"

" _[I'm almost there!]"_ The bar was just a quarter away.

" _He's coming by the door!"_

"We can't wait any longer, I'm pulling out now!" The knight disconnected from the computer, the bar flashed out of existence-the screen returning to normal.

" _[We don't have all the information yet! I've got a fraction left to go!]"_

"We have no choice R.O.B., we can work on what we got." Meta-Knight said, the loud steps of feet were getting louder and louder, the Smasher was desperately looking for a way out. He can risk going back into the vent for risk of making sound, so how can he can he escape? That's when a stray window caught the fighter's eye.

Jack Grey opened the door, just as usual; his office was in the same condition as he'd left it. The skeleton smiled at the notion and walked towards his desk, opening one of the drawers and inserted a document inside, a list of all the participants who entered today's tournament. He's was heading to the door when he spotted the window. Opened all the way.

He shook his head in displeasure as he closed it. "I got to remembered to keep this closed." Jack said as he exited the office, locking the door.

On the outside of the room, was Meta-Knight, hanging onto the window seal with both of his hands. He took a sigh of relief, then let go and quickly flew to the floor below. He stretched his wings as Snake ran to him. "You got out alright?"

"Yes." Meta-Knight pulled out the communicator and handed it to Snake. "And I got our information as well."

"Great!" The solider pressed a button on the device. "He got it R.O.B., and in one piece too."

" _[That's amazing, man that was too close.]"_

"You said it." Snake put the communicator in utility belt, and then he faced the fighter with sly smile on his face. "Come on; let's tell the rest about the good news."

* * *

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are we here? I mean this is just plain silly." Wolf Said.

Whiles Snake and Meta-Knight handled the dirty work, the rest of the team was tasked with finding a temporary base, since loitering around would only draw suspicion towards them they went the last remaining choice they had left. There was a restaurant named: "Jack's Restaurant" (really creative) located near the slot machines to the west of the casino entrance.

The five of them went inside and took a booth that was isolated from the rest of the patrons and settled down, whiles they were there they order their favorite food: Wario ordered onion rings, Lucario ordered chocolate cake, Wolf ordered a juicy burger with a side of fries, Ganondorf and Bowser both had steak, and two dishes of fish and salad was ordered for their two comrades in case they were hungry.

"Like I said, we don't have the plans, so we can't act."Ganon said as he cut into his steak. "All we can do now is to wait for them and pray to god they don't alert security."

"You and god?" Bowser gave a hearty laugh "You taking a knee to the 'powers that be' Ganondorf?"

"Don't mock me boy." Said the king of evil "It was a figure of speech."

" _There they are!"_ Piped Lucario, he waved to the solider and knight walking to their table and couldn't help to smile. _"You got out alright?"_

"Yes." Replied Snake.

" _Did he see you?"_

"Didn't even notice a thing."

"And the information?" Wario Questioned, to which Snake answered by pulling out the communicator from his belt and set on the table with such glamour.

"We hit the jackpot."

"OH WAH, WE DID I-" The solider silenced the fat Smasher by wrapping his hands around his lips; then he stared him down with menacing eyes.

"We are in a public place; do want ourselves to get caught?" The solider hushed, he peaked his head from the seat. Most of the guests paid them no mind, but a couple of strangers looked at them with confusion.

"Kids today are hard to control am I right?" Snake sheepishly asked.

They both nodded understandable and went back to consuming their meals. "Don't call me a kid." Wario hissed at Snake.

"Then stop screaming like one."

"You guys going to waste all the time we have bickering, or are we going to get some actual work done?" Wolf sneered.

"Yes, we should start planning." Meta-Knight Admitted. He and solider sat down at the free spaces at the booth. Lucario pushed the salad and fish in front of them with his paws.

" _Figured you two may be hungry so we ordered something."_

"I see." Snake said, taking a bite of the fish and chewed on it with delight. He grabbed the communicator again and pressed a button. "R.O.B. everyone is present, do you have the plans sorted out?"

" _[Indeed I have.]"_ The robot's voice boasted with pride, the most confident he'd ever been. _"[Do you have the device I required?]"_

Meta-Knight placed a tablet on the table and turned it on. "Yes, we did."

"A tablet?" Wario scratched his head.

Snake wiped his lips with a napkin and spoke. "Since the communicator doesn't come with a screen we had to improvise, so went to the gift store, bought it, and hooked it up to the device. Speaking of which, R.O.B., we need to update the communicator when we get back, a screen would be most useful."

" _Already put it on my to-do list. But in any case, let's get down to business."_ The electronic pad roared with life-showcasing an entire blueprint on screen. _"[This is the map of to the vault; I'll be using this as a reference for the run-down.]"_

"Okay then, let's start with location. Where's the entrance to the vault?" Wario Asked.

A picture of a corridor materialized on screen with a couple of shadow guards staying watch. _"[The entrance is at the casino, if you go north from the elevator you will see it.]"_

"I see some of Jack's men as well." Meta-Knight observed. "We have to deal with them if we want to get in."

" _[Well lucky for all of you, I'm the master dealer.]"_ The picture expanded to the right, showing a men's bathroom door. _"[We can use the restrooms.]"_

"How so?" Questioned the knight.

" _[According the records I have, that particular bathroom has a tendency to be trashed by the guests on a regular basis. Every time it happens, some of the guards get called to clean it. We'll be using that to our advantage. I'll give the men at the door a fake message, and they'll be obligated to handle it. However, we will still have a problem on our hands]"_

"We can't go without taking out the guards?" Snake questioned.

" _[You're exactly right snake. This is the only entrance in or out, if those came back, we'll only be caught. We have to take them out whiles they're in the restroom. Non-lethally, of course.]"_

"I have my tranquilizer on hand." Snake showcased him tranq gun to his team. "One dart; and they'll be out for hours."

" _[After the guards, there's a stairway heading down below. There's room where'd they view the security feed to the vault, I need to hack into the cameras if we don't want to get spotted.]"_

"Can't we just destroy the cameras instead?" Bowser questioned as he took another bite of his steak.

"Don't be foolish." Ganondorf said. "They would definitely notice if the cameras were disrupted, we have to destroy the source."

" _[Yes, but without the destroying part. Non-lethally, remember?]"_ Reaffirmed R.O.B. _"[Anyways, there supposed to be two guards in that room at most. With Snake's gun, they'll be easy to deal with. Then you just have to plug the communicator in and I'll edit the video feed. Simple as that.]"_

" _Are there other hazards we should be aware of?"_ Lucario leaned in further to get a better look of the tablet.

" _[Actually, there is one more thing you should be aware of. Sometimes, guards will wander the hallways from time to time. But don't fret Lucario, with your Aura Vision you should be able to see the enemy before they see you.]"_

" _That's nice to know."_

"I think that's enough with the specifics." Wolf tapped the table with the tips of his claws out of annoyance. "Where and how do we break into the vault?"

" _ **[I'm getting to that.]**_ _"_ The sternness in R.O.B.'s voice was so thick it could be cut with a knife. _"[And to clarify, there are two vaults in Jack's Casino, not one.]"_

"Really now, is Jack that rich that he needs two vaults to hold all that cash? Ha! Has he heard of a bank account?" Bowser joked.

" _[One, he does not trust banks. And two, he uses the two vaults to organize his finances, look here]"_ The tablet zoomed in on a portion of the blueprint, one of the corners of the bottom-right. _"[In this hallway, leads to the first vault. This vault is used to store banknotes, coins, and gold pieces collected from the guests as payment or tribute-]"_

"Is that so? Maybe we can visit-"

"Don't even think about it, fat man." Ganondorf insulted.

" _Our eyes are on the Newcomer, not his wealth. Keep that in mind."_ Lucario warned.

" _[A little bit ways to the right is our main goal; this vault is where Jack stores many of his trinkets and artifacts he collected over the years.]"_

Bowser yawned. "And this is important because?..."

" _[This is also where the keep the prizes.]"_

"Ah." The turtle snap his fingers. "I get it now. Getting in should be easy."

" _[Unfortunately, that's easier said than done, I'm afraid.]"_

Meta-Knight raised an eyebrow. "And that's because there's another roadblock in our plan, correct?"

" _[The door is locked tight, it can only be unlocked by a key that Jack has at all times. To make matters worse, I was unable to collect any information on where Little Mac is going to placed inside the vault, so we're essentially going in blind.]"_ The fighters cringed, they thought they had everything planned out, but this one little problem could make their heist into a bust.

"Perhaps we could snatch the key off Jack when he's not looking-"

"We don't where he is Wario, besides." Snake showed his watch to the team. "We don't have much time."

"So we're going into this plan half-baked, I can tell this is going to go swell." Wolf sarcastically lamented.

" _Don't say that Wolf, it will only make things worse. If we put our skills to good use, I just know we can pull this off."_ Cheered Lucario.

" _[Not to mention I'll be directly assisting you this time.]"_ R.O.B. said _"[I'll be on the mike the entire time, if you have a problem, I will do my best to help.]"_

"I suggest we move now, we'll go over the plan again once we're inside." Snake grabbed the table and communicator and got out of seat, to which the rest of the Smashers followed.

" _Oh, I forgot!"_ Lucario exclaimed, Wolf turned his head back to see the Pokémon carefully place the tip neatly on table. _"What? It's the polite thing to do."_

Wolf rolled his eyes.


	48. Chapter 48: The Heist

**Chapter 48: The Heist**

The group did their best do not draw attention to themselves as they walked to their destination; the last thing they need was witnesses to their future crime. They loitered around the slot machines, eyeing their target: A hallway with two shadow men guarding the door, they were both holding guns.

"I'm going to the bathroom, R.O.B. give them a text when I give the signal." Snake was going to move when the robot's voice spoke.

" _[Hold on Snake, the guards might see you enter the bathroom.]"_

"How's that a problem?"

" _[They might be aware of you when they go inside, I don't to risk it; we need to take their eyes of the door for a moment.]"_

"That could be a problem, so how are we going to divert their attention?" Meta-Knight said.

" _I can think of something. Can I use the tablet for a moment, Snake? I'm going to need it."_ Lucario asked.

"What are you going to do?"

" _I'm going to play stupid."_ Lucario took the device in his pays, being careful not to crush it under his immense strength. _"Just slip in the bathroom when you get an opportunity."_ The blue jackal went up to the guards, the one wearing a comedy mask held up his hand to the fighter.

"This floor is restricted, sir. You're not allowed to go further than this point."

" _Oh sorry about that, I didn't mean to intrude on your watch but I really need help with something."_

The other guard wore a tragedy mask tilted his head. "Help with what exactly?"

Lucario showed the guards his tablet. _"I recently bought this from the store and I don't know how to work it? Do you think you can give me some tips?"_

The two shadow men stood dumfounded.

"Is this dumbass serious?" Whispered tragedy mask.

"Shut up, man. At least it's not bathroom duty. " Hushed comedy mask. "Uh… sure I'll tell you how to turn it on, let's see here…"

"What the hell is he doing?" Bowser scratched his head in confusion as head overheard the conversation.

"The dumb tourist stereotype, very simple but very effective." Snake tightened his bandana. "Keep an eye on the communicator." He said as he handed it to the turtle. "I'm going in."

Snake quickly sneaked in the bathroom, the carpeted floor aided in his stride as he careful closed the door, hiding behind a large trash can that placed in the corner of the room. "I'm in position." The solider said into his Codec.

" _[Okay, I'm going to send the guards, be ready.]" R.O.B._ used the data he got from the computer to get access the communication network of the casino's security, once he found it, he send a text that would surely get the men to move.

The phones on both shadow men vibrated, they took out their devices and looked at their messages to great displeasure.

"I spoke too soon."

"Someone threw the soap dispensers into one of the toilets?! God! I hate this part of the job, why can't the boss hire someone else to handle it? Why do we both have to go?"

"No use complaining, let's get this over with."

It was disgusting but the two henchmen had no other choice, the thought of them getting chewed out by their boss frightened them to their core. They went into the male restroom, taking a look at the sink it was easily noticed that the soap dispenser was there.

"It's still here. Something is not adding up."

"Maybe text was a mistake; we can go just go back to our post."

"We should at least check the stalls at least."

"Eh, fine."

There were three stalls in the restroom, after checking the bowls of the first and second, they opened the third and used a flashlight to search through the toilet.

"I knew it!" The guard wearing the tragedy mask exclaimed. "There was no mess at all."

"I guess you were right, but still, why would we get a text if the bathroom was fine?" Replied the one in the comedy mask

"Who cares, let's get back before the boss thinks we're pissing aroun-" He stiffened all of a sudden as if he was struck like lightning, his eyes dropped lazily as he collapsed to the floor.

"The hell!?"

The guard was going to pick his friend onto feet when he saw a small dart piercing his neck. "What on earth?" Suddenly, he pricked by something on the back of his neck, his brain shut off, falling onto the floor like his buddy.

Snake put his tranq gun back into the holster and immediately contacted R.O.B. "It's done, but I still have to hide the bodies."

" _[Alright, just wait by the entrance with the others when you're done.]"_

Snake dragged both guards further into the stall before locking on the inside, and then he crawled under the gap of the partition and left through the door.

His team was waiting in the darkness of the hallway. Lucario looked at him with curiosity.

" _So?"_

"Didn't even break a sweat. They're napping inside the stalls; they won't be bothering by anyone for quite a while."

"How far does this stairs go?" Bowser asked, looking over the railing of staircase.

" _[It should be at 10 flights.]" R.O.B. said._

"10 FLIGHTS!?" Wario gasped in shock. "That's too much for me, isn't there an elevator we can take instead?"

" _[There is actually, but it's heavily guarded and only Jack has access to it. Sorry Wario, but this is the best we have.]"_

"This is not fair."

"Want me to give you a piggy-back ride to save you from the horrors of exercise, Mr. Tub of lard?" Bowser laughed at his own joke at Wario's expense. "Oh, I love making fat jokes." He chuckled as he went down the stairs, followed by most of the Smashers.

"Why do I always get the short-end of the stick?" The fat man lamented as he sulked down the steps.

* * *

It took a toll on their legs, but they made it to the bottom. The walls appeared to be brick-layered, all painted over white paint. The floor was polished more than any of the furniture or decorations in the entirety of the Casino, and even though there were few lights scattered among the ceiling, they were high-grade quality. This was the most well maintained place in the whole building despite being very bland.

"Lower your voices. That must be the room where they look over the footage." Meta-Knight pointed to a door over to the left of the corridor. It was made of refined steel and had no window indicating what's inside. Jack Grey paid no expense on security. "Lucario, how many are there?"

The Pokémon closed his eyes to activate his aura vision; he was silent for several seconds when his eyebrows rose. _"We have a problem."_

"What?" Asked Snake.

" _There are at least six and seven guards in the room, and I think they're carrying…"_ The blue canine squinted through his eyes to get see clearer. _"Machine guns. They're all have machine guns!"_ Winced Lucario.

"R.O.B., I thought you said there was only going to be two or three guards at most, what's going on?" Snake Demanded.

" _[Huh? That shouldn't be right; the documents showed it was going to be a minimum of two. It has to… no, Jack must have boosted security for the tournament. Dammit! I should have taken this in account!]"_

"It's fine R.O.B., we can handle this. Don't beat yourself over it."

"Just six guards, ha! This will be easy." Boasted Bowser.

"You honestly think that?" The Gerudo had a disapproving expression on his face.

"We may be evenly matched, but we're literally invincible! They pose no threat, we can crush them easily."

"Coming from the Tri-Force of Power, this is absurd, even for you." He shook his head side to side before he explained "They can rack up our percentages with those machine guns, not to mention they could have more weapons inside. But that not what concerns me."

"Hm?" Bowser raised an eyebrow.

"What concerns me is this; if we go in head on, even if we manage to take out the guards with no causalities, they would no doubt try to alert the entire Casino. Including Jack Grey."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot all about that bastard." Wolf snarled to himself, shaking off the memories of Jack Grey giving off the prize to that damn Doberman.

"So how are we going to do now? We can't go any further with taking these guys out?" Snake said.

" _Non-lethally, of course."_ Lucario added.

" _[Well, we can't go through the front door; it's locked from the inside.]"_ Spoke the robot.

"So there's no other entry point?" The solider looked at the door in contempt, trying to find a weak point they can exploit.

" _[There's a vent by the lower-bottom corner of the door, but it's so small, not even Meta-Knight could fit through.]"_

Bowser knelt down to the floor, carefully ripping of the grate of its hinges and putting the piece of metal off to the side. "Can we use Snake's missile to guide it the room?"

"That will only alert the guards, and probably kill them." Reaffirmed Ganon

"Then what-"

*Crunch*

The sound of something cracking interrupted the tone of the heist; everyone turned their heads to see Wario awkwardly munching on an onion ring. "What?"

"Boy, what are you doing?" Ganondorf spoke.

"I'm having a snack; it helps me calm my nerves when I'm stressed." On the fat fighter's clothes a visible stain accompanied by yellow crumbs led into his pocket.

Lucario mouth was hung open, Wario was most infamous for his disgusting take on personal hygiene, but this was a new low. _"Wario… did you take all of the onion rings from the dinner and put it into your overalls?"_

"Of course, I couldn't let my food go to waste. I paid for it after all."

" _I gave you money so you can order."_

"Uh… well… I still used it; I have a self-obligation to finish my meals. It's my duty? Yes it's my duty. My self-fulfilled duty!" Wario smiled unconvincingly as he burped. "Whoops."

"You disgusting pile of fat and grease." Ganondorf towered over the yellow fighter, staring him down with his evil eye. "Your incompetence is unacceptable! If you were of my minions I would've have executed you on the spot."

Wario shook nervously as he accidently farted, which only intensified the feeling of repulsiveness within all the Smashers. This was especially true with Wolf, who scowled at the whole scene whiles leaning up against a wall.

' _What a pathetic loser, who he got into this world is beyond me.'_ If Wolf had a hit list, Wario would be among the very top. The leader of Star Wolf didn't hate the fatty because he did something personal against him that would warrant vengeance. Wario was just ugly, inside and out. Trying not to feel disturbed by his ugly mustache is a challenge, but dealing with his antics is a job in of it of itself. The canine could remember his first impressions of Wario: How he tried to steal food from the kitchen, how he tried to hit on the women only resulting of them running away or punching him in the face, or his unhealthy eating habits.

The only "interesting" part about Wario, was his supernatural ability to harness the bodily gas inside of him to attack, it was unorthodox but it proved to be quite powerful. He would hate himself to suggest this, but they're grasping at straws here. Hopefully this idea will work.

"Hey, I have an idea of how we can get inside that locked room." He got the attention of his team within a moment's notice.

" _[I'm all open to any ideas, what's your suggestion?]"_ Asked R.O.B.

"You know how Wario caused the infamous "Hot Chili Incident", and how we had to evacuate certain parts of the mansion for several days?"

Wario hung his head in shame. "I was hoping you would forget by now."

Wolf ignored him. "We can use Wario's "talent" to go use. If he were to fart into the vent we can knock out henchmen inside."

The group cringed in disgust but had to admit, it wasn't a bad plan at all.

"Is Wario's… ugh… gas even capable as acting out as a sedative?" Said Bowser.

" _[Oh, for sure.]"_ Agreed R.O.B. _"[It wouldn't be effective in the open, but in closed spaces, it can. By overtaking the oxygen, the methane can block breathable air to the lung, which would knock anyone to unconsciousness.]"_

Snake looked to Wario. "Are you able to do it?"

"Ah… Yeah, I can." Wario reaffirmed, standing up straight like a solider.

"Then get your fat ass into that hole!" Said Bowser. "We don't have a day!"

Wario grumbled as he went over to the square hole in the wall, he pressed his rump as far into the crevices as he can. Once he was sure it in securely. He asked one last thing from his teammates. "Can you not tell anybody about this? I want this to leave the group."

" _Sure thing, Wario. I won't tell anybody."_ Promised Lucario.

"I will." Spoke the canine. "I'm not going to let this story go to waste."

The fat man scowled at Wolf before getting on to his business, his gut rumbled like a train as he pressured his body to unleash his ultimate weapon. When he was ready, he let it rip.

*TWAAPP!*

Several moments went by an nothing happened, at first it was assumed the plan was bust, but then they heard the shouts coming from the other room.

"You guys smell that?"

"It smells like something had died!"

"Hey guys, it's getting kind of hard to breathe in here."

"This is unbearable! I'm getting out of here!"

"Someone, block the door!" Commanded Snake.

Bowser ran out to the door and pressed his entire body weight against it. The door knob was jiggled sporadically and bangs could be heard from the door. Soon the shouts evolved into screams.

"It won't open!"

"Are we trapped?!"

"What's happening?! Is this a terrorist attack?!"

"I can't breath, I CAN"T BREATHE!"

"SOMEBODY HELP US! WE'RE DYING IN HERE!"

The sense of guilt plagued Lucario, he couldn't help but confess. _"I feel bad for doing this to them."_

"They would've have shot us otherwise." Ganondorf pointed out.

" _I know that, but no one deserves to suffer like… that."_ Lucario gestured to the security room. _"Well, maybe except Tabuu."_

"They will be alright…. I think." Said Snake.

The voices simmered down until it morphed into absolute silence. Bowser stood back, taking long breaths into his lungs. "They stopped, I think we took out of them equation."

" _[Now, I'll have to disable the cameras. One of you will have to connect me to computer.]"_ R.O.B. explained.

"What?! You want us to go in that biohazard? You must be homicidal."

" _[Oh, don't get your wires in a twist. We're invulnerable, so stop acting it's a life or death situation. We need to get rid of the cameras; that's non-negotiable.]"_

"Well then who's going to volunteer?" Wario turned to see his friends looking at him with meaning. "Oh, come on!"

"You're the one who dealt it, so you will have to deal with it." Snake handed him the communicator. "Besides, think about how the women back at the mansion, if they hear about how you tried to help the Newcomer, they might start to love you."

Lucario looked at the solider with confusion, tilting his head to the side as he opened their private telepathic link with each other. _"What are you talking about Snake? The females Smashers liken Wario akin to a pile of garbage."_

" _Lucario, let me do my thing."_ Snake told his furry friend.

"When you put it that way." The fat Smasher snatched the device with a device with a stupid but devilish grin. "I'll gladly volunteer." Wario put his hands on the door knob.

"Wario, wait-" Meta-Knight tried to warn him but he wasn't fast enough. The moment the door opened, the yellowish-green gas began to seep into the hallway. The Smashers protected their noses to prevent any further attacks by the smell.

"What are you waiting for? Do your job already!" Shouted the turtle, his booming commanded Wario to run into the green fog, navigating over the passed out bodies on the floor. _'Man, they really got knocked out didn't they? I got to lay of the onions'_

The Smasher found the computer console and plugged the communicator into the USB port. "It's in."

" _[Give me a second.]"_

Wario eyes were watering, trying his best not to breathe in. _'Yep, really need to lay off the onions; this is unbearable, even for me!'_

" _[It's done, you can leave now.]"_

He didn't need to be told twice. He unplugged the device and bolted out of there as fast as he can, but not before tripping over one of the guards and face-planting outside.

Lucario carefully inserted his arm into the doorway and flicked on an electric switch, turning on the fan. The he slammed the door shut, panting heavily. _"That should clear it up. Now you see how we feel whenever you fart near us."_

"It's part of my power." Wario stated as he got back up to his feet,

" _Doesn't mean you have to use it indoors, but enough lecturing."_ The Pokémon knelt down to Wario's level to speak to R.O.B. _"What's the next step of instructions?"_

" _[Since the security cameras are in my control, your team can freely explore without getting caught on tape.]"_

"There are still guards roaming around." Ganondorf reminded.

" _I can you my Aura Vision to spot them ahead of time, it's no problem."_ Lucario said _"Snake, since you have the tablet, would you mind being our guide?"_

"Indeed not." The solider pulled out the electronic pad out, he scanned his eyes several times on the screen before announcing to his team. "We need to continue going straight, let's go, the time window's getting shorter."

Nods of agreement were visible throughout the group; they silent marched on down the corridor with purpose. Wario stood there dumbfounded; then deadpanned at his team.

"Uh, you're welcome!" Mocked the fat Smasher. "Hey! Wait up for me!"

* * *

"We're almost there, just need to take several turns." Snake said.

The mission was going well for the most part, aside from the disgusting improvisation they we're forced to use, there were no problems what so ever. However, they can't afford to be lenient. They still had the issue of what to do when Jack Grey discovers this year's prize to be missing.

Bowser was popping his fingers as he walked. "You think Jack would assume it was us?"

"It's very likely he would." Ganondorf said. "He'll put two and two together and become thirsty for our blood. Its best leave before that happens,"

"So we run like hell and never come back? Ha, that just reeks of cowardice." Wolf scoffed.

" _There's a fine line between cowardice and self-preservation, Wolf."_ Lucario explained as he kept his eyes closed. _"We are trying to keep causalities at a minimum, just get in and get out. I know you think you can handle Jack, and I'm sure if we can work together to do so. But you're not taking account his deceptive power lever, not to mention his loyal henchmen that are all around the place. We'll fight if have to, but for now the plan is to get the Newcomer and never to return to this establishment."_

"Yeah sure, just watch. I'm betting the next Newcomer will be in Jack's office." Wolf said sarcastically.

"Don't jinx yourself; it's not a healthy habit." Warned Meta-Knight.

"Whatever."

They we're about to turn a corner when Lucario stopped in his tracks, he extended his arm from his body to prevent the rest of the team from proceeding further. _"I sense three coming. Stay on guard."_

Peeking around the wall, the Pokémon could three shadowmen coming out of a door, all wearing tragedy masks. They ironically laughed and shared stories with each other as they exited out of view. Once the coast was clear Lucario signaled to the group. _"I can't sense them anymore, we can go now."_

"Hey, what's this?" Wario walked out of the hiding space to observe two metal doors attached to the wall. One was dull and grey, the same door that the guards came from, and the other was made from gold. "These doors look different from the rest we saw so far."

" _[I'm sorry, I didn't catch that? What looks different from the rest?]"_ R.O.B. asked.

"Two doors. One forged from steel and the other gold. You know what rooms they are?" Questioned Snake.

" _[Hold on. Okay let's see… you by the main vault and the doors are different colors, uh… Oh! I know what they are!]"_

"What?"

" _[The steel door is the main vault; those men you saw earlier was probably making sure the cash is alright.]"_

"Cash? Oh that sounds lovely." Wario was salivating.

" _Wario."_ Lucario groaned.

"I know, I know." The fat Smasher sighed. "No touching."

"And the gold door?" Snake asked.

" _[That's Grey's private elevator, he's spent a good part of his fortune on it oddly enough.]"_

"Gold elevators, huh. That's not a bad idea; why didn't I think of that?" Bowser wondered.

" _Because you're not a rich narcissistic, that's why."_ Lucario shook his head in disgust. _"Let's go, I'm getting sick just looking at this."_

The team went down the corridor with rescuing the Newcomer in their minds, but they were not the only intruders in the vault. Hiding behind the same corner the Smashers used as cover, two blackish creatures wearing green clothes carries laser swords and empty burlap sacks, eyeing the door with a greedy purpose.

* * *

They walked until they came across their destination: A large metal garage door with a mark of a white skull painted on it, right beside it was a normal metal door with a large prominent lock on it.

"So this is the second vault that Jack cares so much about… very interesting, to say the least." Meta-Knight said.

Wario scratched his head in confusion. "Hey R.O.B., we're at the vault, but there are two doors. Why?"

" _[That's because those are two different entrances. The large garage door is for the artifacts and prizes and the small door is for Jack Grey himself.]"_

"So that's why the lock is so weird."

"That's very informative, Mr. Robot, but how exactly are we going to get inside?" Interrupted Wolf.

" _[That's the part I was dreading, I don't know how to.]"_

"You brought us all the way here without a plan?" Seethed Bowser.

" _[I wasn't able to get all of the information on the vault so I was forced to do this section of the plan blind.]"_

"Going in blind?! I thought you we're the planning type?"

" _[It's hard to prepare when you're running out of time, Bowser! It's not as easy as it looks!]"_

" _Can we stop arguing here? Now's really not the best time!"_ Lucario said. _"Just tell us what you know already."_

" _[Okay. Okay. Sorry about that, I let me nerves get the best of me. Okay. As I said before, the small can only be opened by Jack Grey, due to the special key he possesses.]"_

"Can we break or pick it?"

" _[Not a chance, Wolf. The lock is sensitive, it will alarm security is anything foreign is slid into the hold. And breaking it down won't work either, that door is made to withstand missiles.]"_

Snake walked up the large metal shaft and rubbed his chin. "So that leaves the garage door."

" _[Going that way is also a problem. It's just as strong as the other door, and the door opener is on the other side. There is a remote can that open it, but it's possessed by the head of security and don't know where he is.]"_

"Damn! We're so close. There's must something we can do."

"How heavy is the garage door?" Ganondorf asked.

" _[It don't know, it doesn't say much it weighs. Why you ask?]"_ Probed R.O.B.

The Gerudo hunched down and took a firm grip, he was able to budge the door slightly up before letting it hit the floor again. "I think we found a weakness, if we combined all of our strength together and lift this up just enough. One of us can slip through the gap and turn on the garage opener. This is our ticket in."

"Is that plausible R.O.B." Snake told the robot on the other side of the com.

" _[Actually, it might. There's no alarm on the shaft, so over-power wouldn't alert anybody. It's definitely worth a shot.]"_

"So we all agree to this right? Okay then, so who's going to be the one that goes under?" Wolf questioned.

"I'll do it." Volunteered Meta-Knight. "My lack of height would be very valuable in this situation."

"Ugh, great more work. Well at least I will able to show my strength." Bowser knelt down just like Ganondorf and slid his claws under the metal. "Are you guys going to stand there googly-eyed or are you actually going to help us?"

The seven trophies with the exception of the knight did their part. They knelt down and toughen their muscles to lift the door. The combined teamwork was akin to that of a well oiled machine, they were gratefully after they pulled the slab of metal upwards from the ground.

The open space wasn't by any means huge but it was just enough for the living black ball to pass through. He tucked his wings to his sides as he crawled underneath. _'Now where is that infernal switch?'_ Thought Meta-Knight. Turning to his right, he could see a lone switch by the small door; pointing in a downwards direction. He ran to it and used his sword to push the lever upwards.

Relief flowed between the muscles of the trophies as the metal barrier was pull upwards. With no other obstacles, everyone convened in the vault.

" _First things first."_ Lucario went to the switch and pulled the knob down, which made the garage door close. Then he went to the small door and unlocked it. _"Don't want to leave the door wide open as we worked, the last thing we need is a guard peeking at what were doing."_

"Look at this place!" Wario said. They were in some sort of large warehouse; wooden crates scattered the entire floor and containers stocked every single space on the shelf. One could imagine how many treasures and mysteries this place holds. "It's so big."

"Yeah, that's a problem." Snake observed.

"How so?"

"R.O.B. doesn't know where the Newcomer is, that'll mean we will be searching through the boxes blind, taking up all the time we have."

" _[Not entirely blind.]"_ Spoke the robot. _"[I don't know where the trophy is exactly, but I have a good idea of where it isn't.]"_

"You know which boxes that don't contain Little Mac?" Ganondorf questioned.

" _[Only a significant portion, but that will be enough to narrow it down. I can show the results I found on the tablet but that's it. You have to search the rest of the boxes by yourselves.]"_

"But it'll take forever open up all these boxes!" Bowser argued.

"Who said we have to open them?"

"Huh?" Bowser turned to see Meta-Knight on top of a crate looking into one of the open holes inside.

"There are small holes in these crates; I assume they're there for air to get inside." The Smasher did a front flip before landing on the floor. "We can shorten our search time if we look inside the hole, not to mention we have Lucario's Aura Vision, which is capable of seeing though objects at a close distance, reducing our scavenger hunt even further."

"And I can use the tablet as a reference in case we get confused." Snake added.

"And for getting the crates open?" Wario asked.

"We'll have Ganondorf and Bowser take care of it." Snake answered. "If worse comes to worse, I can blow it open with my C4."

" _[See? I knew you guys can do it! Just needed a bit of strategizing.]" R.O.B. cheered._

" _But there's still the problem of the guards entering the vault."_ Lucario reminded.

"Your right. The head guard is still out there somewhere. We could be caught if they ever get inside." Snake said. "Someone should take watch outside."

Wario and Wolf were standing next to each other, the fat Smasher took a step backing, making it appear that Wolf stepped forward.

The canine saw this and snarled at Wario, who flinched at the thin threat. "Fine, I'll do it!"

"Here's the communicator, if anything happens, just tell R.O.B. and he'll tell me." Snake explained as he handed the device to the leader of Star Wolf.

"I also want your cigarette and lighter."

Snake frowned at this request.

"Your insane if you think I'm going out there without something to entertain myself, come on, you can live without your vice for a little bit."

The solider sighed and gave him what he asked for. "Just don't lose it. Come on let's get searching." Said the solider as the team dispersed, leaving Wolf all alone.

The wild canine flicked the fighter and used it light the cigarette. He relaxed as the smoke went into his lungs. "I forgot how useful these were back in my flying days, after this mission I'm going to check out the drugstore in town for more." Wolf went to the small metal door and exited into the hallway. Where he saw the three shadowmen from earlier, one of them had a badge that said: **Head of Security** on it.

The Smasher and henchmen stared in each other in absolute surprise, the cigarette fell out of the canine's open mouth and hit the ground with a small thud. Then the door slammed shut, bring everyone to reality.

Wolf took out his blaster and shot projectiles of energy at two of the men, knocking them down on the floor. He wasn't fast enough to shoot the guard with the badge, he did a kicked the gun out of his paws and went into a fighting stance.

The fighter showed his claws and began slashing at his opponent, the shadowman was able to block most of the hits, but the final blow flung the enemy into the air and onto the ground.

Wolf was thinking of pouncing onto his prey when he saw one of the guards he blasted earlier attempting to reach a fire alarm that was attached to a wall. If he pulled it, their cover will be blown.

The canine went light speed at the henchman; he knocked him into the wall creating a small crack. Wolf then grabbed the man by the neck and smashed his head into the wall once more; creating a larger crack and knocking out the man once more.

A bullet went by his ear; he turned to a see another guard holding a gun at him. The shadowman fired again, but Wolf was prepared. Activating his force-field, the bullet bounced back and hit the man in his leg. He couldn't help but to cry in pain a he collapsed to the floor.

Smiling, Wolf deactivated his shelf and pounced onto the downed enemy. He raised his fist as he mercilessly pounded his opponent's face, knocking him down for the count.

The head guard he slashed earlier got up onto his feet and tugged on the canine's shirt, he threw Wolf over his shoulders as he tossed the Smasher to the garage door. Wolf tried to get up but was stunned when the guard kicked him in the face. Then the head guard positioned his body weight onto his waist and began to choke him with his shadowy arms.

Wolf tried to slash the shadowman's face but his was mask acted out as armor, protecting it from the Smasher's claws. He rolled his eyes to left to his gun lying on the floor; he extended his left hand to grab it but it was too out of reach.

Then, his wrist touched something warm. Taking a closer look, he could see his hand right onto of the cigarette his smoking. He grabbed it with haste, and pushed to burning cylinder of tobacco into one of the mask's eyeholes.

The head guard screamed in pain, he let go of the fighter's throat as stumbled backwards. Wolf then grabbed the gun and shot the man in the face; making him black out.

Wolf panted as Snake went through the small door. "Wolf, we found… What the hell happened?!"

"Found these guards right outside the door, I think they we're about to open garage door." Wolf said as he relit his cigarette again. He sucked in the smoke once more as he tossed the lighter to Snake. "But I took care of it, didn't even broke a sweat. Now what we're you saying?"

"We found Newcomer, Ganon and Bowser is breaking down the container as we speak."

"I see… let's give him a warm welcome."

* * *

Wolf and Snake ran to where the rest of the team was; they were crowding around in a circle. Lucario turned his head with caution but relaxed to see his friend. _"We got him out, it took a lot effort surprisingly and Styrofoam got everywhere, but we did indeed get him out."_

"Where's the trophy?" Wolf said.

Lucario stepped out of the way to reveal the statue of Little Mac, polished like a toy that had just been removed from its package. _"We wanted to wait for you guys before we took him out of his trophy state."_

Snake nodded and knelt down to the gold plate. "It's showtime." He said as he tapped the base. Light engulf the trophy; the area was blinded in a yellow haze then faded away to reveal a boxer on the floor.

Little Mac rubbed his eyes to see a mercenary, a fat man, a large green man with orange hair, a blue dog, a round thing wearing a mask, and a anthropomorphic wolf with an eye patch.

We weren't shocked at all, just bewildered, he was used to weird characters but this took the cake. He had trouble deciding whether he died and went to the afterlife, or had too much chocolate before bed.

The blue dog knelt down and offered a hand to Little Mac, his smile radiated kindness but also gave a sense of urgency. _"Hello there, my name is Lucario and we're part of the Super Smash Brothers. We are here to rescue you."_

* * *

 **Here's the latest chapter you guys, since college has started, the release window will be extended by just a tad bit. But I should be able to release on a regular basis.**

 **Like always, if there's any mistakes or errors in the chapter, or in the previous chapters let me know and I fix them asap.**

 **Till Next Time.**


	49. Chapter 49: The Fire Tyrant

**Chapter 49: The Fire Tyrant**

After what happened with the third boss, the trio was hesitant to continue. They did win, of course, but not without consequence; Kung Fury had his entire hand cut off, alongside with the bruised eye socket. There was only one boss left but considering the condition that Brawler's character is bad shape, they wondered if defeating the Fire Tyrant was even possible.

"Are you sure we can't just restart the game? Maybe we can salvage it?" Asked Gunner. The three of them were sitting on the floor, deciding their next course of action.

"No chance in hell!" Brawler dismissed. "I worked my ass off beating all those bosses; I'm not going to do it all over again because you guys are nervous."

"I'm not nervous." The Mii in orange spoke sheepishly.

"People who are nervous, do not shake like a damn washing machine."

"What if we redo just this level? We know what the Air Assassin can do, so beating him will easier. We can even possibly finish it with our hand in one piece. Right? Come one guys, back me up here."

"Sorry Gunner, I can believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with Brawler." Sword apologized. "The part where Fury got dismembered seemed to be part of a scripted cutscene. That means the character is going to be injured no matter what."

"Thanks for proving my point Sword, now if no other objections I'm going to play-"

"Wait! What if we try going pass the holograms? We never tried actually going pass them before." Gunner suggested, pointing to the one last hologram guarding the door, a man hidden within a robe.

"Gunner, we talked about this." The blade wielder reminded.

"But there's only one more. Surely their power must be weakened with only one of them left!" Gunner slid her hand under her bed and felt something touch her fingers; she looked to see a soccer ball full of air. She smiled and took the balls in her hands. "In fact, let me prove it to you. Just watch!"

She put the soccer ball on the floor and rolled it over to the hologram, where it immediately combusted in a flurry of flames. The trio watched the burning mess with disappointment; Brawler turned his head to Gunner with a deadpanned expression. "You were saying, Gunner?"

"…We can break down the walls."

"Gunner just stop, just stop and raise the white flag while you're ahead." The fist-fighter couldn't help but to massage the bridge of his nose in absolute frustration. "There's no other way, alright, and you know it. So stop fretting over it and let me play."

The shooter didn't want to look in Brawler's eyes. "But what if we lose the game?"

"I won't lose, I can promise you that." He reaffirmed. "I'm the one with off all this pressure on me, you guys aren't affected at all."

"Actually we are, we can't leave until the game is finished." Sword said.

"Which is even more reason to let me do my job." Retorted Brawler. "Come man, we're time here, are we going to move forward or are we going to waste even more time?"

Swordfighter bit his lip, the sighed. "Fine, pick up the controller."

"Sword!"

"Its okay, Gunner. Brawler is rough as rock but he's tough as one too. I'm sure he's very capable of handling this."

"Finally." The Mii whispered himself as he pressed start, unlike last time there wasn't a narrator to bring forth the story; something has changed.

Fury woke up a dampen bed in a darkened room; he was disoriented until he remembered what happened. "No." He tried to get out of the bed but was shocked to see he was strapped down onto the mattress, he's was only able to move his head. Rolling his head to right he could see his hand has been replaced by a stump wrapped in bandages; still red.

"No… that damn f*cker. He actually got me. How can I go forward with my life like this?" The fighter relaxed his head back onto the pillow. "It's not fair."

"Nothing is fair, Fury." The lights turned on, momentary blinding the downed fighter. The door open, two soldiers dressed in red clothes and helmets came in, and pointed their red guns at him.

Then another guy came in; tall height; badges all over his vest; red-tinted glasses; his fire on fire. He was the one who captured him. "I thought you out off all people would've known that."

Kung eyes widen with anger and wrestled against the restraints. "Woah, I'd me careful Fury. You're in no position to retaliate." The man on fire gestured to his armed men. "Besides, you're a bit worse than wear, don't you think?" He pulled out a mirror from a drawer from the side and showed it to him. Through the reflection, the fighter could see that half of his face was bandaged. Fury would be lucky if he didn't look like an ugly son of a bitch when it healed.

"You." Kung said menacingly.

"Ah, so you do remember me." The Fire Tyrant pulled out a chair and set it by the bed, and sat down. "I was afraid you'd forget about me."

"I could never forget about you. You were the one who ruined my life. You ruined me!"

"You ruined yourself." The dictator pointed at him mockingly. "Your life would've taken a better turn if you hadn't killed my father at the grand fighter's party."

"He's was mocking my heritage! I punched him in the face; I didn't mean to kill him!" Fury explained.

"But killed him regardless. He was an old man; you honestly think a blow to temple wouldn't crack his skull? Come on." The tyrant smiled slightly. "But I'm not angry, I'm quite happy you did what you did."

Fury muscles relaxed. "What?"

"I'll be honest with you. I hated my father. He's such a disgusting control freak. The happiest day of my life was seeing him dead on the floor."

"If that's true, then why did you cry like a child in front of all those reporters?"

"I saw an opportunity and I took it. When I lamented over his death all over the TV I got tremendous amount of support from all around; really boosted my career."

"At my expense!" The fighter was crying tears. "I lost everything! My title; my respect; my home; everything! It's all gone because of that damn incident."

"Could've been worse. Instead of execution they exiled you. I call that a win in my book."

"Oh, you would know about winning don't you?" The venom in Fury's voice returned. "You quickly rose to that top; you became the best champion, the best politician, and then finally the worst dictator."

"Right on the money." The tyrant clapped slowly. "It's amazing how much people are willingly to ignore your grabs for power as long as they love you."

"But… what I don't understand is your power. All of your powers. How did the four of you even get something so… game changing?"

"I didn't even know for myself for the longest time. I woke on one day and was shocked to find out that I set my bed on fire. Soon enough I found others who were similar to me. We formed a pack-"

"-And controlled the world. It's disgusting that everybody went along with it willingly."

The pyrokinetic shook his finger. "Not exactly, we all had over own way of running things in our own domains. The king controlled the money, so he had the government eating out of his pocket. The maiden was frighteningly popular. The assassin ruled by fear. And as for me, well let's just say I had a trick up my sleeve."

Fury looked over to one of the soldiers, his eyes were glowing orange.

"Is his eyes on-"

"-Fire? You got the right. I found a way to use fire as a conduit for mind control. Don't ask me how; because I'm not going to tell you."

"That shouldn't be possible!" Exclaimed the fighter. "Fire is supposed to burn things, not control people!"

"But I made it work; I practiced with my powers so long I reached heights that shouldn't be possible." The Fire Tyrant pointed at him.

"Why are you telling me this? Why have you trapped in this damn bed?"

"Because I still have use for you."

The Fire Tyrant snapped his fingers and the soldiers went to the left and right of the bed and propped it upward. The men used the wheels of the bed to roll it out into the hallway with the pyrokinetic following right beside the fighter.

"You honestly think that Earth, Water, Air, and Fire are the only elements to exist?" The dictator asked Fury, to which he stared harshly. "No, this is just the beginning. We are entering a new age, with new elements for the world. For me to grasp."

"How are you going to accomplish that, your domain is fire only?" Kung said.

"By killing you of course."

"That doe-"

"Don't you dare speak over me, I wasn't finished." The fire on his head grew slightly before simmering down again. "When I confiscating property from notable individuals. I' came across this notebook that I got from this artifact collector."

"And why does this matter?"

"The contents were detailing supposed future events; at first I thought the book was bullsh*t. I was never really a believer of that sort of thing. But then I saw the events actually happen, and then I took it seriously. There was one prophecy that caught my eye, do you know what that was?"

"…"

"The prophecy stated the four elemental masters would be slain by a brave hero, he would gain their powers and bring peace and freedom to the world once again."

"That would mean your visions of diluted power would soon end."

"Not necessarily." The tyrant said. "It also that this hero can only be defeated by the master of fire. Once he kills the hero, he would gain his powers and be the leader of the new world. Sadly he could only gain his powers by fair combat. I hope that answers your question, I was really hoping to kill you in your sleep and be done with it."

"And you're telling me this why? Detailing your master plan in the movies never goes well."

"This not a movie, Fury, this is real life. I felt sentimental is all; you were responsible for my rise to power. I wanted to give you thanks before our fair fight."

"Fighting with a broken eye and a lost hand is hardly fair." Spat Fury.

"Fair in terms that the arena would be on level-playing field. You did that to yourself." The Fire Tyrant pointed. "Oh, looks like we're already here."

The pyrokinetic opened the door to darken room; the walls were made of bricks, and skeletons were chained to the walls. The only source of light was a light bulb hanging from a cord from the ceiling.

The soldiers rolled the bed in and cut the straps, then went back into hallway and shut the door. Fury fell to the floor in pain; his injuries haven't entirely healed and they were still sensitive to the touch.

The Dictator stood from the edge of the light. "The only reason I worked with the other was because we were the only one's capable of controlling the world's destiny. With them gone the future is uncertain, but if I take your soul." Fire erupted from his hands, his arms alight. "I will not only gain all four powers, but I will gain more in near future. Will you be the one to strike me down like the prophecy states? Or will you die like the rest that stood before me?"

Kung Fury pushed himself up to his feet, his eyes burned with righteous rage. "I don't care about fulfilling a prophecy, I don't care about becoming a leader, I don't even care of getting new elements. But I do care about this." The fighter generated a flurry of water in his right hand. "I care about defeating you and freeing the world, and god help me, I'll do it if it's the last thing I do!"

"Then come on snowflake, let me teach you something about sacrifice."

The fighter out-stretched his lone hand; several spheres of water flew out his palms. The Fire Tyrant lifted a finger as several bolts of fire were ignited to life. These fiery projectiles soared like a bird as it crashed into water balls; evaporating all completely.

"What… the… f*ck?" Kung's jaw was open; he didn't expect his attack to fall flat.

"I told you I was the one who had the most experience." The dictator shook his head lightly. "Sorry, but you can't pour out this flame so easily." He laughed against and took a deep breath. He blew fire towards Fury; it was so bright it lit up the room entirely. The fighter barely had enough time to dodge the beam which hit the door and scorched the metal.

"WHAT?! That… fire is naturally weak to water! What the hell is this bull-"

"Let's try the air powers then." Sword suggested. "If we can't drown the fire, then let's blow out!"

"Great idea, Sword! Except for one little thing. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT F*CKING WORKS!" Brawler yelled. His voice cracked slightly, an obvious sign to Sword that the fist-fighter was panicked.

"OH GOD, HE'S COMING TOWARDS US!" Gunner pointed to the screen, the tyrant was running towards Fury at full speed.

"DAMMIT, NO!" Shouted Brawler.

"TRY SWITCHING TO AIR AND PRESS RANDOM BUTTONS!" Swordfighter yelled.

Brawler desperate, took his advice. He switched and mashed the control out of between stress and hope. Heavy winds came from Fury's fingers; the attack was so strong it pushed back the Fire Tyrant for a moment. But just for a moment. The dictator used his arm to protect his face from the winds and charged at full-force at the fighter, where he delivered an uppercut of fire at Kung Fury' stomach.

The punch not only burned his belly, but it also made him hit the back of the wall. He got back up and went for the last elemental power he had. A gauntlet of earth formed around his arm, he shouted his war cry and went to go punch the pyrokinetic.

He simple dodged out of the way as the fighter stumbled. "Seriously? Out of all the geokinetic powers at your disposal; you made a glove?" The tyrant mocked. Fury went to go for another blow but his opponent caught the punch with his hand. "Big mistake."

The dictator transferred high levels of heat into the gauntlet. The earth began to glow and sizzle Fury's skin, the fighter cry his howl of pain as he dematerialized the constructed and fell back onto the floor; with the master of fire towering over him.

"You know what, Fury? I changed my mind. I'm not going to kill you outright; I want to make battle memorable." He crouched down and grabbed onto the fighter's head. "So instead, I'm going to rip the soul out of you."

Kung Fury's eyes glowed red as yellow, blue, green energies was going from the fighter's body into the Fire Tyrant's. He was untold amounts of pain but he couldn't scream. He's lost control of his body but he could feel everything that was happening. Is this the end? Would the tyrant gain his powers and stomp his massive boot over the face of the world? Would he lose?

' _No, when my world was tumbling down, I still pushed on.'_ Thought Fury.

Brawler gripped the controlled so hard he was beginning to dent it. "I defeated every boss till now, exhausted a good part of my soul to win."

' _There is so much stake here I can't afford to throw in the towel.'_

"If I lose now, everything I'd had done would have been meaningless!"

' _There's one last parasite in this world to deal with.'_

"If I kill him, all this bullsh*t will end!"

' _And by god, I swear.'_

Brawler began to voice their declaration in unison, as if telling the universe there solem promise.

"GOD-DAMMIT I WON'T LOSE, YOU WILL DIE BY MY HANDS YOU MONSTER! "

The energy that has been transferring from Kung Fury has now been slowly coming back to him. "What?! Impossible!" Exclaimed the Fire Tyrant. "I got you by the ropes! How are you still fighting?!"

Fury couldn't but smile at the dictator's confusion, the tables had turned. Now a red energy was coming out of the pyrokinetic and into the fighter; his wounds began to heal; the burn marks faded away, the pain in his back had disappeared, and the bandages on his face had come off- revealing his eye was good as new. The only wound that hadn't was his bloody stump; it was the only thing that hadn't been affected.

"Dammit, I can't handle this torment, Yargh!" The dictator was forced to let go and promptly fell on the floor. Most of the red energy had returned to his body but a fraction went into Fury's body.

He got up energized and more determined than ever. His stub glowed yellow and hot liquid began to form onto it. When he was done, he had recreated his own arm-made from lava. "I told you, I. Will. Kill. You."

The Fire Tyrant got up and created a gauntlet of fire on his right hand. His cocky has faded. "The hell you will, I refuse to die by the like of you." The dictator ran at him and leveled his arm at his opponent. Fury ran too, and made contact with his lava arm with his fist.

His fire was hot, but not as hot as lava. The fire dance weakly on the molten rocket as it made contact with his fingers, causing heavy burns. The pyrokinetic yelled in pain and pulled his hand back; his fingers are black as coal.

"Was wrong? Not as confident as you once were?" Fury said.

The tyrant scowled and raised his undamaged hand towards the fighter, projecting out several fire balls that zoomed through the air. Kung did a flip in the air and turned his body to superheated steam. He dodged every single projectile with ease, then he transformed back to his normal form; his position was now closer to the tyrant.

Fury couldn't see it, but his eyes were bulging behind his red glasses, he been practicing for years and never once was he able to transform his body into his element. How powerful was this kid?

"I can't worry about that now, I need to tear his head off before it's too late." He said to himself, he formed an entire shield made from fire and charged forward, thinking he had the upper-hand.

The fighter outstretched his stub, black gas twirled around his limb before forming an arm made of smoke, and then blasting a heavy stream of the toxic poison towards the end of the room. This attack was much stronger than the pathetic wind attack that Fury used before; he was struggling more than ever to get to his opponent. The shield did wonders against the smoke, but he couldn't protect his lungs from the onslaught of the black gas. His coughing forced him to erase the shield and cover his mouth to preserve whatever oxygen he had left.

The smoke slowly dissipated; Fury was sprinting at the tyrant. The pyrokinetic threw the first punch, but the fighter caught it in his smoke arm. He was smiling at him mockingly, staring through his glasses to make a point. "Do you know how you fight against fire?" His elemental arm turned orange; it burned with passion to reflect his desire. "You fight with fire."

The dictator screamed as Fury held on to his hand, burning his knuckles. The Fire Tyrant slipped through his grip and stumbled back. "You have my fire? That's Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible; you just need to find your drive."

The dictator snarled. "I'll find my drive once I'm done with you, those powers are mine!" He projected a beam of blue tinted fire; it was so hot the chains holding the skeletons to the wall melted off.

Kung Fury counted with a beam of compressed earth, water and air. They were at a stalemate, if one overpowers the other, the loser will die and winner shall taste victory. The tyrant thought he could outlast him but was shocked to see sparks of fire now emanating from his adversary's beam.

The four elements slowly pushed against the cruel fire, before suddenly shooting pass the orange menace and going through the tyrant. The master of fire screamed his final death woes as he was obliterated on the atomic level.

Kung Fury stopped his onslaught; he could see that the only thing that was left of the tyrant was soul. It was standing there, glowing in the center of the room. The fighter grabbed the soul and pressed it into his body, completely absorbing it into himself. A surge of power ran through him, his entire body turned to fire before returning to his original self.

 **Congratulations! You collected the soul of the Fire Tyrant.**

 **This will allow you to gain the power of pyrokinesis!**

 **You collected all 4 elements. You complete your journey.**

"Yes! Finally! I was about to flip if I lost to that greedy pig. Though I was kind of disappointed I didn't get to rip his guts out." Brawler dropped the controller on the floor and wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling prideful he tasted from the chalice of victory.

"What's with you and disembowelment?" Sword question.

"Guys the game is still going on." Gunner reminded his peers.

The cutscene shifted to Kung Fury in expensive clothes wearing a crown on his head. The narrator spoke to explain what was happening. "With the four elemental masters gone the world could finally breathe anew. He broke the mind control of the Fire Tyrant's subjects, ruined the Earth King's and Water Princess's reputation, and destroyed the Air Assassin's organization. The world was at peace… for now. With new elements coming in the near future, Fury would have to teach a new generation of responsibility and goodwill, lest the wounds of the past destroy the future once more.

"But that's fine." The narrator's voice had been replaced by Fury's own voice. "I learned my mistakes; I thought if I hid myself away everything would sort itself out. I was wrong. Dead wrong. I can no longer hide from myself from the darkness within my heart, I will lead the world to greatness and I shall not fail. I will have to work overtime to atone for all of these mistakes. But that's fine. Because I will not fail. **I will not fail them. Thank you so much friend. I wouldn't be able to do all of this without you. Thank you forgiving me.** " The final scene was Fury exiting through a door and walking towards a balcony. Waving down to his loving people down below. Greeting the sunshine on his face with a huge smile.

Brawler looked at the screen with confusion. "Did Fury just break the 4th wall? From a game with a gritty tone, I was not expecting that."

"Maybe it's a reference to you Brawler." Sword stated.

"Too me?"

"He's has anger problems, you have anger problems. He skilled at hand-to-hand combat, you're a fist-fighter. He's a rule-breaker, you're a rule breaker. I wouldn't be surprised if this game was tailored completely for you."

"I haven't thought of that before, but now that you mentioned it… " Gunner rubbed his chin in thought. "The scuba game took place at sea; Sword's memories involve much of the ocean. Yeah I think you're right, these games might actually be tailored towards us."

"But why so, did the gem do a… mind probe on us?" Sword questioned. He was about to think the implications of this discovery but Brawler interrupted his train of thought.

"Hey there's one more thing for me to do. One text box, it wants to know if I want to continue playing or not." Observed Brawler.

"Well that's the only we can leave the room." Reminded the blonde Mii. "Pressing no will just keep us trapped longer."

"I was thinking the same thing; pressing yes." Brawler tapped a button, his eyes turned white and his mind was pounded with unfamiliar memories.

" **I need to get more protein in my diet; meat is necessary for building muscle." The bodybuilder said.**

 **The man in the karate outfit transferred his chi into his left hand, he then slammed his arm into the log; a clean split.**

" **57, 58," A Mii was in the gym, lifting up weights. "59, 60!"**

 **The boxer mercilessly pounded his opponent's chest. He smiled a little before delivering a power uppercut.**

Brawler would've fell to the ground but he fortunately caught by Gunner. "My god! Are you okay? Brawler!"

"Your eyes… they were white. Did you have visions like I did?" Sword asked.

"I saw scenes of punches, weights, and karate. I think so." The fist-fighter rubber his head. "I forgot this happen with you last time."

"Does that mean you're skilled at hand-to-hand combat?" Gunner asked.

Brawler looked at his hands in wonder, and instantly remembered all the techniques. He did a punch, an upper cut, and a front flip all in one go. For the finale he generated a metal ball in his hands and crushed it between his palms.

"That was good!" Acknowledged Gunner.

"Well that answers that question, I guess you're a master with your fist then."

"Not just that, my muscles feel different. I think I developed super strength." He stared at the metal crumbs in his hands. "Oh… I'm going to love this!" He said, smiling one of the biggest smiles he had in his entire life


	50. Chapter 50: Boss Battle: Jack Grey 1

**Chapter 50: Boss Battle: Jack Grey Part 1**

The elevator played a beautiful tune from the 50's as it went downwards towards the bottom level, Jack Grey and the Doberman we're standing patiently as they we're waiting their destination.

"I'm very astounded you won the tournament. I was expecting those Smashers to win." Jack said.

"Why's that? Are those so called: 'Heroes of the WOT' expert poker players too?" The dog questioned.

"Ha, no way. Those Smasher's are painfully average when it comes to be games. The most professional was that wolf. He was a very competitive player. He would have made it to the final round if he hadn't assaulted you."

"Eh, Damn shame he managed to get those filthy claws on me. Well at least the universe will make it up to me with the big fat prize. Just wished I had it already." Doberman said as he used a toothpick to clean out his pick. The skeleton was eyeing him and the canine responded with: "I'm planning on going to a steakhouse after this, might as well get my chompers ready."

"I see, well anyway, I'm sorry for the wait but security come first when it comes to my establishment. We wouldn't want some nobody stealing the grand prize would we?"

"Has anyone actually stole from the vault?"

"Some had tried to do so? But all had failed and I had made an example of them. As long as I'm in charge here, no one will steal a single cent from me." The doors opened and the skeleton and canine walked out, and were greeted to the money vault; being completely empty except for the lone coins on the ground.

They stood there absolutely shocked, they stood in silent panic till the Doberman responded. ""That's the worst case of irony as I ever seen."

"MY MONEY!" Grey ran inside and whipped his head around the entire area. "All of its gone. GONE! GUARDS!"

Three shadowmen came over, standing straight with obedience. "We're here Mr. Jack Grey, Sir." One of them said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"THE MONEY HAS BEEN RANSACKED? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" The skeleton yelled. "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS OCCUR?! DID YOU PUT YOUR THUMBS UP YOUR ASSES AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT?!"

"We didn't sir we didn't!" The talking shadowmen said with panic. "We we're patrolling on your orders. Command didn't notify us of anything wrong so we carried out of business as usual."

"THEN WHY… wait. Have you check the main vault at all?" Questioned the owner. The four henchmen shook the head's 'no'.

"Oh god." Grey crunched his hands with anger before maintaining his composure. "Alright! I want two of you to check out command, the rest of you will be coming with me to check the main vault! Do I make myself clear?!"

"YES SIR!"

"THEN MOVE WITH PURPOSE!"

Two shadowmen ran out of view whiles the Doberman, two guards, and Jack Grey ran all the way to the artifact vault. It took several minutes before they arrived. Three shadowmen were knocked out on the floor and the small metal door was wide open.

"You two check the vault, I'll wake up the men!" Ordered Jack Grey.

"YES SIR!" Shouted the henchmen as they ran inside.

The skeleton knelt down and grabbed an incapacitated guard of the ground and shook his shoulders. "Come on! WAKE UP!"

The thug woke up slowly, rubbing the back of his head in pain. "Oh… my head. Mr. Grey?! You're here?"

"Yes, I'm here! It's was time for me to give the prize to our winner! But I found the vault ransacked and you three asleep on the ground! What the hell happened?!" He unintentionally shouted in the shadowman's ear.

"I don't know sir, we we're doing our daily checkup of the vault when this wolf with an eyepatch came out of nowhere. We tried to arrest him but he took us all out."

"Wolf with eyepatch?!" growled the Doberman.

The two shadowmen returned, panting heavily as they saluted to their boss. One of them stood forward. "Sir, we noticed that one of the prizes had gone missing."

"What kind of prize?" Jack Grey head twitched.

"The prize for the grand tournament. The boxer trophy to be exact."

"NO!" Snarled the dog. "That was my prize! Those bastards!"

The other shadowman came forward as well. "As we searched, we got a message from the men from the command room. The guards were knocked out apparently, one of them stated they were knocked out by some green gas. Said it smelled like ass."

Wolf. Trophy. Foul gas. These words circled around Jack Grey's head. He didn't need to be a detective to figure out who did the deed. He stood on his feet calmly, he hands trembled with anger as blue fire erupted from his sockets. He took one deep breath before screaming out his new hated word.

"SMASHERS!"

* * *

"Are there any guards?" Said Meta-Knight. The group had got what they came for and now their priority was now to leave to building. If their crime gets discovered whiles their still inside. They'll be in trouble.

Lucario came up the stairs and used his Aura Vision to view the entrance. _"No. We're clear."_

"Then let's move." Ganondorf said, leading the group to main lobby of the casino; the patrons were too busy with the games and food to notice the Smashers. So far everything was going fine.

The eight fighters walked a brisk pace to blend in with the crowd, acting like they were just strolling around and not getting away with the first and hopefully last heist they ever planned. Snake turned his head to the Newcomer and asked him a question. "How you're doing kid? You okay?" Little Mac was wrapped in a white sheet the Smashers found lying on one of the boxes in the vault. He needed a disguise in case anyone recognizes him from the prize box, it was weak, but it was the best they could find.

Little Mac had trouble comprehending what was going on. First he woke up in some warehouse and now some blue dog is telling him they're rescuing him from some skeleton. The boxer didn't anything his 'rescuers' told him. The teenager assumed it was having one of those lucid dreams that Doc talked about once.

Considering how rare those dreams were Little Mac took it in good spirits. He pretended to understand what they were conveying and went along with them. His ability to detect one's intentions was very useful in his career and was more useful in cutting through the curtain of deception. Thankfully, his now found friends appeared to be telling the truth. He had no reason to be against them, and with nothing left to do he just went along with the plan. Little Mac raised his head to the solider and nodded.

"Alright, that's good. I bet you have many questions right now, and we'll answer all of them. But not right now. We need to book it before he finds out." Snake glanced to the upper floors of the casino, the guards were getting antsy and were running all over the place. "They're scrambling all over the place, I think they know. Where's the exit?!"

Wario squinted his eyes and pointed. "It's over there!" The fat Smasher's finger was directed to two doors, wide open. The beautiful flowers and grass of Onnet were clearly visible on the other side.

" _Finally! Ok guys, change of plans. Let's run as fast as we can!"_ Lucario telepathically announced to his comrades. All the trophies sprinted as fast at their bodies can managed. The sense of victory radiated from their minds as they came closer to the doors until…

*SLAM*

…they suddenly swung backwards and closed shut, with the lock rotating by itself.

"You have some nerve. You know that!?" A grizzly yet booming voice erupted behind their backs. The Smashers reluctantly turned around to see a frightening sight. Jack Fury head alit with blue flames menacingly holding several coins in his hands. People around him took several steps back of fear, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Wario was sweating like a pig, he gulped before putting out a nervous smile. "Hey Jackie… How's the weather?"

"We're inside dumbass, out of all the lies to choose you picked that one?! First you steal from me and now you're trying to cower away. Ridiculous!" His guards circled around the fighters and armed their weapons at the fighters. The skeleton raised a hand. "No. I will handle this, go back to your posts. No matter what happens you will not intervene. Do you understand?" His henchmen nodded and cautiously walked away, giving the stage to their boss.

"Stole from you? We didn't steal anything-" Bowser tried coming up with an excuse but the skeleton interrupted him.

"Don't take me as fool you hulking turtle! You people were moaning how much you wanted your precious Newcomer, and I found the prize missing from the vault!" The Doberman walked from behind him and spoke out his resentment as well. "Yes! And I won fair and square, and yet you tried to screw me over. But what can I say, if a Wolf is a crook then I guess his friends is as well!"

Wolf barred his teeth at the dog with that insult.

"And I see you have my property right in front of me." Jack Grey pointed to the boxer wrapped in white cloth. "Take that off son, you're not fooling anyone."

Little Mac took the sheet of carefully, he was used to big thugs but this skeleton was something else. He never encounter someone of this caliber before, this was uncharted territory.

"You know, I'm surprised you managed to do this." Jack spoke with anger mixed with a pinch of amusement. "I never thought you heroes would do something like this. Especially you Lucario, you're too kind for your own good. I never thought you would go along with this."

The jackal stood back a couple of steps before regain his posture and regaining his confidence. _"I value my morals but I value my family much more. If I have to break the law in order to save them. Then so be it."_

The skeleton laughed his heart out as he shook his head. "You known this guy for what, a day? And now you all are risking your safety for some boy who may or may not have the same feelings for you. I knew the Smash Brothers were bleeding hearts but this is getting out of hand. I'll tell you what." Jack Grey outstretched his hands in an attempt to seem friendly. "I'm going to do something that I've never done before. I'm not going to punish you outright like those who tried to screw me over before. Your organization helped me in ways I never could. If you hand over the prize right now, I'll let you go and not ban you from this casino for life. So what it going to be? Your friend? Or our partnership?"

The Veterans looked at each other in uneasiness. They knew if they cut business with Mr. Grey it would be a huge loss to their resources. But they also knew that every single Smasher on this planet was important. They were the sole protectors of the Omniverse, to betray one another is to betray reality itself. Knowing where they stand, they all nodded to each other. Snake stepped forwards. "We're not letting any of us behind. Sorry Jack, but we're going to cut you loose."

Jack Grey rubbed his bony chin. "I see… does he speak for all of you then? Yes?" The skeleton formed blue fire in his palms. "Then allow me to burn away my goodwill!"

The twisted flames erupted towards the fighters, they barely had enough time to dodge as the attack scorched the door and the surrounding wall. Wolf stood his ground to shoot energy blast from his pistol, beside him was Snake, who launched a missile from his remote controlled rocket launcher.

The skeleton rotated his body to dodge Wolf's projectiles, he took some spare change from his pocket and threw it at the missile; making it explode. He generated more fire on his hand as he charged forward.

About now the guests were panicking, most had abandoned their games to take cover behind pillars and trashcans. Some however, ignored the chaos and pay more attention to their task of winning the jack pot. The only exception was the Doberman, who was observing the fight whiles keeping his distance.

Snake took out his gun and open fired. Jack Grey was able to avoid the bullets due to his enhanced agility but a few hit his ribcage. It hurt, but he wasn't going to be incapacitated because of the feeling of pain. The last metallic projectile zoomed past his skull as he delivered a fiery uppercut to the soldier's gut. Snake went flying into a chair before hitting the ground. Wolf reactively tried to brandish his claws to slash the skeleton but Mr. Grey caught both of his paws within his hands. He gave the canine a menacing glare before head-butting his snout and kicking him away from his sight.

Bowser and Meta-Knight went up to challenge to owner of the casino. The turtle caught the skeleton of guard as he dropped kicked him into a pillar; fracturing it immensely. Jack Grey got up a rubbed his skull. "You shouldn't have done that."

Bowser sprinted and tried to deliver a punch to his chest. Jack simple side-stepped out of the way as the king hit the pillar, fracturing it even more. The skeleton laughed. "I heard stories from your friends. You wasted your life trying to capture one princess? How pathetic."

Bowser growled. "I'll show you pathetic!" The turtle opened his mouth to release orange flames from his snout. The skeleton jumped over the attack and the Smasher and formed a blue fire ball in his hands. He smirk as he projected the sphere at Bowser's back. He slammed to pillar once again, one more hit, and it'll go down.

"You're have terrific strength but terrible brains you stupid turtle. If you were only a little bit smarter, you could have outdone that plumber."

"THAT TEARS IT! I'M GOING TO SMASH YOU!" Bowser grabbed a nearby poker table, he breathed in his gut as he threw it at his opponent. The skeleton simply extended his hand and the object stopped in midair.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten? I control every inch of this casino. That includes the furniture." He flicked his finger at the table zoomed at Bowser, the turtle ducked his head and avoid the object as it slammed into the stone pillar. "HA! Missed me you meatless prick!"

"I wasn't aiming for you."

"Huh?" Bowser ears perked up as he heard crumbling behind him. He turned around to see the pillar collapsing, taking down a section of celling with it. The smasher screamed at the rubble crashed into him. Then a yellow light enveloped the area to reveal a trophy of a monstrous turtle trapped under a mountainous pile of debris.

" _Bowser!"_ Lucario shouted.

"Like a said: terrific strength, terrible brains." The skeleton voiced his opinion aloud. He went alert when he heard the sound of flapping wings fast approaching. He quickly transformed his body to smoke before the Galaxia Sword sliced through his form. Jack Grey reappeared several feet away to see Meta-Knight staring him now with fury in his eyes. "You are dishonorable, Jack Grey. A person with a soul tainted as yours don't deserve luxury."

"Oh please, honor is a social construct. It doesn't exist. I got where I am by navigating the system. If you want to fight me, go ahead. By your standards, my soul may be tainted-" The skeleton created a sword made of out cards in his right hand and shield crafted from coins in his left. "But my fighting skills are not. Show me far this 'honor' can get you vampire reject."

Meta-Knight and Jack Grey clashed their swords together. Their fight was akin to that of old Kung Fu action. It would be amazing to watch if the circumstance wasn't so dire. Their swords continued clashing until Mr. Grey successfully kicked Meta-Knight in the face.

With the Smasher stunned, the skeleton threw his coin shield in Meta-Knights mask. Making him skid across the floor. "You assume that everyone else will play by the rules. That's a big mistake!" Jack's sword separated into individual cards and flew towards the fighter. Half of the cards wrapped around Meta-Knight's body, holding him in place, whiles the other half circled around him. Cutting him with their razor sharp edges.

"It's a sad fact, but the people who take advantage of the game are the ones who get the happy ending. There is no chivalry in survival of the fittest. It's just nature." Jack Grey gestured his hand at a restaurant, the same restaurant the Smashers were eating at earlier and flicked his hands forwards. Propane canisters burst through the window at great speed and head straight towards Meta-Knight.

"It's a shame you never learn that." Mr. Grey quickly formed a large fire ball and precisely threw at the right moment. The knight's eyes went wide as the projectile made contact with the canister. A huge explosion of blue and metal blinded everyone in the room. When smoke cleared, the skeleton could see the trophy of Meta-Knight embedded in a nearby wall; still smoking from the blast.

"No…" Snake lamented.

"You're already down two men and I'm just getting started." Jack laughed. "You should have never crossed me." The skeleton shifted his body to ash and smoke, zooming through the air like sadistic falcon hunting down its prey, and re-materialized in front of the teary eyed jackal, the shocked solider, and the enraged wolf. "Now allow me to dish out the burn."

Snake tried to re-aim his pistol but Mr. Grey executed a roundhouse kick which knocked the weapon out of his hands, the metallic slid across as if it was a sign to symbolize Snake's new founded vulnerability. Lucario had successful blasted a Force Palm to the undead's chest but because of the fact that the Pokémon hadn't been damaged during the entire mission and also that his power gets stronger when his own percentage is high. It only did little knockback against the opponent but it did crack the sternum.

Jack gritted his teeth in annoyance as he blew a puff of smoke, blue fire burned on his fingertips in contempt, the blue dog would have gone for another attack but a bony uppercut to his chin prevented him from doing so. The solider saw his friend being knocked into the air and retaliated by pulling out his RPG. The missile barely left the weapon, a coin smashed though the metal interior triggering the explosion. Snake shouted his anguish as his slid against the rugged floor.

Wolf lined up his sights to deliver a well-placed laser at the skeleton's skull but the Doberman that had watched from the side-lines step in, he sprinted at the Smasher and slashed his short but sharp claws at the wild pilot.

"You're joining in Danny? I thought you didn't like fighting?" Jack asked.

"I'm making an exception, this bastard is going to pay for robbing me blind." The dog chuckled at the Wolf who as now snarling at him.

"Knock yourself out. I still have to deal with rest of the problem." The skeleton said as he marched over to a determined Gerudo, a scarred fatty, and a stressed boxer.

Lucario ran over to Snake, he placed a paw on the soldier's arm as he pulled him up. _"Snake, are you-"_

"I'm fine." Snake quickly got on his feet and grabbed his gun off the floor. "Where's Jack."

" _I think… there he is!"_ The blue canine pointed to freighting skeleton approaching their friends. _"He's coming after the Newcomer."_

"Alright! Let's-" Wolf was thrown into them, knocking them both down. The three fighters unraveled themselves to witness Danny the Doberman walking up to them in confidence; twirling his magnum around like a cowboy. "You know what? I changed my mind. I'm going to help Mr. Grey after all. You people are with the wolf after all. It makes sense I'd kick your ass as well."

" _That will not happen!"_ Reaffirmed Lucario. _"We won't let ourselves be defeated by the likes of you."_

"Wanna bet?" Danny smiled at the jackal, mocking him ever so slightly. The Pokémon created an Aura Sphere in his hands and projected it out at the dog. Danny did a roll on the ground and set upon himself on the knee. The bullet glimmered for a second in the flight as it collided with Lucario's face; flinging him back into a pillar.

"Dammit!" Snake said.

"Told you so." The Doberman announced as he fired the gun once more. Wolf was using his force-field to block the shots whiles retaliated by shooting rounds out of his SOCOM.

* * *

The boss of the casino was approaching the three trophies. "Now if you kindly hand over that prize, we can negotiate-" A clump of garlic bounced of his suit, he looked down; a stain had now formed on his expensive suit. Pissed off, Jack Grey looked up to see Wario holding several pieces of garlic. Now shaking uncontrollably. The Smasher screamed like a little girl as a large fire ball exploded the fatty all over to the slot machines.

"So much pain in so little time." The skeleton shook his head. "I assume you going to cause more problems for me?"

Little Mac had seen some bastards in his time but this was definitely the most evil person he had seen in his life. Not even some of the boxers he fought in the ring was dirty as this. Dream or not, this skeleton had to be taken down a peg. The teenager went up the owner of the casino and released a flurry a punched to the man. It would have been effective if Grey hadn't turn into Smoke.

Mac looked at the black cloud, dumbfounded. A bony hand came out of the smoke and punched the boxer in the face. The move was powerful enough the force the boy on the floor. The Newcomer eyes were spinning, he tried to close his eyes to resettle his vision.

"I'll take as yes. You know, this would have all been easy if you just surrendered."

"We never negotiate with our enemies! Power is gained through strength, not appeasement."

"You may be strong, but I'm stronger."

In the blackness, Mac could hear sounds of hitting, shouting, and the crackling of flames in the distance. He relaxed his eyelids to witness Ganondorf and Jack Grey neck and neck; hands intertwined; eyes deadlocked; and teeth barred. It was unknown who was going to win this fight, but the boxer was not going to let fate decide.

The teenager got back up in haste, he transferred the kinetic energy from his glove into the skeleton's already cracked rib cage. The force of the blow was strong enough to break the bone.

Jack Grey howled. The resulting pain threw of his game, allowing the king of evil to the opportunity to kick the skeleton's spine. He was propelled several feet away into a row of chairs, his back suffered more pain as he splintered the wood.

He was horrified to see the state of his body, the sternum was completely broken; the only thing holding his ribs together was his spine. Looking further, the extent of the damage became clear; large cracks on his lower back. Due to this injury he'll be unable to complex movement lest he wants to be broken in two.

' _But I can't take a break now.'_ Thought Jack. _'If I do nothing, they Smashers will win. I cannot let them get away!"_

Jack re-lit the cigar with his finger and took a big breath, orange energy course through his body as the pain was numbed. A single snap of his bony fingers transformed a section of the casino into a beach: The ground was replaced with sand, the pillars were swapped with thick palm trees, and even the restaurant was morphed into a lighthouse near the ocean.

Little Mac watched the magic unfold, he was so mesmerized he actually let some words slip through his lips. "Woah…"

Ganondorf channeled dark energies through his fist. "He can control and change the casino into anything he see fit! Keep your guard boy!"

"Right you are, Ganon." Jack took another breath of smoke. "I was hoping to not overexert myself, but looks like I have no choice. I'm at full power now. If you think I was bad before, wait until you get a taste of the new me."

A bony hand was raised up from his body and he pointed over to the Large Smasher. Several palm trees were ripped from its roots and were telekinetically thrown at Ganondorf. The projectiles splintered into a thousand pieces as he punched the wood; only one tree managed to hit him. He stammered back one step as the projectile broke in two; Ganon was now pissed.

Jack observed the Smasher withstanding the attack. "You know I got to say, you look funny when you're mad. I wonder if that's a quirk of yours?"

The boxer shook his head of his amazement and ready his game face on, he left hard-pressed footprints on the grounds as he charged forward. With a movement of his palms, the skeleton unearth a multitude of seashells from the sand and compressed in into a ball. Then he threw it at the Little Mac.

Mac can give punches but can hardly withstand them, he's a glass canon. When the sphere was launched into him. The teenage zoomed through the air like a meteor, and would have crashed like one too if Ganondorf hadn't caught him with a single arm. He set the boy on his feet as the both of them stared at the skeleton; emanating with demonic power.

The beast has been released.


	51. Chapter 51: Boss Battle: Jack Grey 2

**Hey guys, i'm back with another chapter, before we start, a review asked me a question:**

 **Anonymous** **: Really enjoying the fanfiction, but I have a question, how often do you update this?**

 **I update every 7-10 days or so, I want to have the time to prepare the story before I write.**

 **Anyway, back to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 51: Boss Battle Jack Grey Part 2**

Wario was face-planted in the rug by the slot machines, it was one of the areas that was left untouched by Grey's morphing power. "Ow…" Wario lifted his body up and leaned against a machine "Now I remember why I hate going on these missions, I wish I never left home."

"But dearie, if you stay at home you're only depriving yourself of what the world has to offer." Wario froze as he heard a voice to his right, he turned to see a green tentacle monster, the same monster he had been playing against in the poker tournament. It appears she was putting coins into the slot and pulling the lever. "A boy like you should explore and enjoy life the way it is."

"I'm an adult."

"You are?" The creature took out some glasses from her purse and attached it somewhere on her body. "Oh, you are big man! Sorry about that, my eyesight isn't what it used to be."

"Yeah, clearly." Wario sarcastically noted.

""So young man, what brings you over to the slot machines? Hoping to win the jackpot? I know I am!" She said as she pulled the lever. "Aw, looks like I missed the mark… again."

"What brings me over here? WAH!" Wario turned his head to see Jack Grey with a red aura, his body shook as he saw the skeleton's true power. "He warped the room already? Wah… We're screwed."

"Who warped what now?" The monster turned the top portion of its body to witness what the Smasher was seeing. "OH DEAR GOD, WHAT"S HAPPENING THERE?!"

Wario wondered if it was the best choice to explain the reason for why the situation was unfolding, but figured what the hell, what's the worst that can happen. "Apparently Jack Grey is angry at us Smashers for trying to rescue our own people."

"But that doesn't make sense dearie, Jack can't do that. That would be slavery!"

"Weren't you there for the presentation for the poker tournament?" Asked the Smasher.

"No… I was late to that tournament." Said the monster.

"Well you see that teenager over there? He was one of the prizes, Jack said he was an exception."

"And now your group is risking their safety to rescue a friend?"

"Well he's not exactly a 'friend', we just met him. And we don't know-"

"My god! What a brave young boy you are!" The monster pressed one of its tentacles meaningfully to express its love.

A smile appeared on the fatties face. "Well I don't mean to brag but-" It turned into a frown once the words registered in his brain. "Hey! What did I just tell you?"

"Now, now dearie calm now." The creature patted the yellow hat on his head. "Don't worry about your friend. I refuse to let that happen." She said as she turned to the fight; when she did so, two beady red eyes glowed from her head. "Allow me to assist."

* * *

Lucario got back up the ground, rubbing his head from the headache. He saw Danny, Wolf, and Snake still in a tie with their fighting skills. But it looks like they were getting tired somewhat, if he came now to fight the Doberman their side will have an advantage.

' _Gotta get up, I need to help.'_ The jackal propped himself up against the pillar he slammed into and his hand jumped slightly when he touched something metallic. He twisted around with fist full of aura to see Meta-Knight, poking out of the pillar. The Pokémon's joy spike instantly, he tapped the gold base to free his friend.

The light came and gone, and the knight was revived. His eyes dazed for a few seconds before it landed on Lucario, then the same pillar he was stuck to. "How long was I out?"

" _I lost count."_ He took a sigh of relief as he spoke. _"The Doberman has joined Jack's side, we need to step it up. Can you move?"_

Meta-Knight attempt to remove himself from the stone but he was only able to move on of his arms, the arm the held his sword. "No, I'm afraid this pillar isn't content of letting me go. I'm afraid you have to leave me behind-"

" _No, I refuse to let that happen! I'm getting you out of there."_ Lucario pulled on Meta-Knight's free arm, he stamped his feet into the floor almost comically as he tried to free his friend.

The knight wrestled his arm away from the canine. "Don't worry about me, focus on the people that actually need you!" He pointed the tip of the Galaxia to a fight distant from them.

Snake landed a shot right on Danny's shoulder, the pain was great but it didn't nothing to slow down the canine. Snarling, he shot three rounds in Snake's chest then slashed his sharp claws onto his face, knocking him down on the floor.

Lucario eyes widened, he didn't want to but it was the safest way. _"Fine! But I'm coming back for you."_

"No need." Meta-Knight adjusted his sword to the stone. "I'll get myself out. Now go!"

The jackal nodded and left Meta-Knight. He twirled his weapon around with passion as he hacked at the pillar he was strained to.

Wolf looked back at Snake at the floor and howled even more anger, he's was done playing the defensive. He disregarded his shield and went in for more damage. It prove unsuccessful however, the Doberman dodge the Smasher's slashes as he reloaded his magnum.

He kicked Wolf's throat, forcing the canine to stagger back a bit. Danny leveled the gun with a smirk when Lucario came out of nowhere a delivered a punch to the face. The Pokémon then tried to wrestle the six-shooter away from Danny, but in the struggle the gun was fired upwards towards the ceiling.

The jackal and Doberman clenched their heads in disarray, since the gun fired right next to their ears, the resulting bang infected pain on their ear drums, making them vulnerable to attack.

Wolf took the opportunity to aim his energy pistol at Danny and opened fire. The bolt of green energy propelled the Doberman to the ground, he was couching up heavily.

"Wait! We can talk about this!" He pleaded to the wolf, who was staring him down with absolute condemnation. But just when he was going to get another shot, a big gold chandelier came from above and slammed into the Doberman.

Wolf looked at the rubble at curiosity, than looked up; there was a bullet hole on the metal plating where the chandelier was earlier. The shot must have broken it and caused it to fall.

The Smasher holstered his gun with satisfaction as he turned away. He saw Lucario coming out of his stunned state and was now helping Snake off the floor. Wolf ran up and asked. "You two look like you been thrown through the ringer, I'm assuming you're fine?"

"I got a lot of percentage on me, but I can handle it." Snake said.

Lucario looked around the area with confusion. _"Where's the dog?"_

"He's been taken care of, he won't be a problem anymore." Wolf, despite the circumstances, managed to hide his contentment when he told the news to his teammates. "Now we have to deal with Jack Grey, where is that bastard anyway?"

"Argh!" A shout of pain got their attention, they three of them turned their heads to see Little Mac being blasted by a missile made of coins. The boxer landed by the Gerudo as he got up in determination.

"Ask and you shall receive." Wolf noted.

" _Come on everybody! We got to help them, we can't not afford Jack Grey to get the Newcomer!"_ Lucario commanded. He took charge while's the solider and the grey canine lagged behind. The three of them sprinted through the sand like sheepdog defending the sheep from the approaching predator.

* * *

' _Is this guy ever going to go now, I think he has more stamina than me'_ Thought Little Mac, he and Ganon had been fighting the skeleton for a short period of time. In that time, they failed to land any direct hits onto him, he was well aware of their move sets now; and was shaping the landscape accordingly. Mainly in the form of long gaps in the sand, so Little Mac would have a difficult time traversing, and fast projectiles for Ganondorf; it proved to be effective, because speed was significantly slower for him to dodge or block.

Jack waved his arms to commence another deadly attack until a sphere of aura to the skull stopped him. He wavered a bit as his vision was seeing doubles. Lucario raised his paw at him as he ran with the grey canine to rest of the group that haven't been trophified. Snake opened fired with his pistol as the two pulled the tyrant king and the boxer to standing level.

" _Sorry for taking so long, a certain Doberman was eating our time."_ Lucario said, which triggered Wolf to scowl. _"Are you hurt or-"_

"Did you activate Knight and Bowser?" Ganondorf went straight to the point.

" _Only managed to get Meta-Knight, he was stuck though. He wanted me to go as he helped himself out. Where's Wario?"_

He grunted. "Jack blasted him over away somewhere, I don't know where he is."

"Dammit! We'll already down three men. We need to be creative here, there must be something we can do."

"ENOUGH!" Jack voice boomed at them like furious lightning. The group turned to see the skeleton holding a cigar in his right hand. He smoked it, and a bright blue aura of flames surrounded his entire body. The ocean evaporated instantly into heated steam, it circle the area ominous if to foretell their potential doom; the sand melted to glass and cracked all over the area, the ground vibrate slightly as Jack stomped closer; and the lights to the room either shattered or dimmed to point of near darkness. The brightest source of light was the owner of the casino itself. "You pushed me to the limit, Smashers. For that, I will spare no mercy." He telekinetically lifted several glass shards into the air. "Feel my wrath!"

The projectiles zoomed at them like bullets, some of the Smashers such as Ganondorf, Snake, and Lucario were able to block the attack by generating their force-fields, depleting their strength overtime. Wolf opted to use his reflector instead of his shield, but wasn't quick enough in activating it; for that he was punished by the endless shards; his percentage rose up to the danger zone.

Little Mac wasn't able to generate his force-field due to him not knowing the ropes of his new powers. So he was forced to reluctantly dodge the shards as they came at him. All that training with Doc Louis must have paid off because he got out unscathed… okay well he still got damaged, but it was much less than Wolf.

Jack Grey then formed his hand into a fist and slammed it into a downward motion. Several clouds of steam up above solidified into solid form and was morphed into solid spikes. The spike crashed down on where the remaining fighters were and caused a major blow to their team.

Wolf was turned into a trophy in the scuffle, his figure laid motionless in the sand, void of all life. Ganondorf, Lucario, and Snake received major percentage from that move; Little Mac was the most vulnerable, unknown to him, he was in the danger zone.

Jack laughed heartily. "Best fighting team in the world? Ha! I beg to differ. Now stand still so I can finish you off." The skeleton raised his arm and was about to do something when he realized his cigar when out. His aura dissipated as he grunted at the inconvenience. He put the rolled up tobacco in his jaws, he was about to light it up with blue fire on his finger when he heard-

"Now!"

It was faint, but he could recognize someone was shouting in the distance. He turned his head to see some green monstrosity with long appendages on its body throw Wario towards him at full speed. "IT'S WARIO TIME!" The fatty announced, turning his body around so his backside faced the skeleton.

Jack Grey's jaw almost fell off when he saw Wario's belly beginning to rumble. Before he could do anything, a loud *THRAP* was heard and the foul gas now was blown at his face. Once the gas touched the blue fire on his finger, it automatically ignited and caused an explosion.

Wario comically screamed like a girl in the air, then face-planted (again). The conscious Smasher could feel his pain as he slid on his belly to their group. His momentum stopped when he reached Wolf's trophy, with his hand just touching the golden base. The light enveloped the downed fighter, allowing the grey canine to wake up in the sitting position.

He glanced down and saw Wario's face near his crotch. Wolf snarled, and Wario cowered on the floor. Before the predator could tear into his prey Snake broke the awkward standoff. "Wario, did you just save us?"

"Uh… yeah. Yeah! I did!" Wario stood on the soles of his shoes proudly. "Yep! I alone saved the day from the deadly Jack Grey. Wah! Don't give me the appraises just yet. We can wait after the mission so I can give my victory speech." The fat man said arrogantly.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes, Wario did this whenever he did something good or heroic. He lets the fame and power go to his head and turns him into an insufferable tool for an hour. _Every time_. Sometimes he wonders if he should have Dr. Mario check up on his brain to make sure it wasn't broken years ago. But that wasn't for another time. "Fat man, who was that creature that threw you over to Jack Grey. I don't see it anywhere." Observed the Gerudo.

"Oh." Wario turned around. "Huh. Now that you think about it, I don't see any of those two anywhere. I wonder where they are."

The thought went away when a raspy voice came from the smoke. "OH GOD THIS HURT!" The smoke cleared, and they were greeted with the image of Jack Grey's mutilated form; he had been separate spine. With his lower half located far away from him, he was forced to resort to using his arms move across the floor. "My chiropractor will give me hell for this. Damn you all." Lamented the skeleton, he perked up when he saw his cigar several feet away from him. "Maybe I can still savage my pride."

He tried to grab his vice but was surprised when he was pulled back a bit by something slimy; the tentacle creature had come out of hiding and was starting to restrain Jack with it's appendages. Jack Grey struggled as the monster took hold of his body. "GO! I hold him off as long as I can." The monster said.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Wario agreed. "Let's book it guys."

" _We can't leave until we have everyone!"_ Lucario refuted.

"Oh, yeah forgot that." Admitted the fat Smasher.

"Where is Bowser and Meta-Knight?!" Wolf asked.

"RIGHT HERE!" Turning over to the left, the group could see Meta-Knight standing near the pile where Bowser was crushed. He had gotten himself out of the pillar and was now working to free the fallen turtle. "I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!"

The fighters ran to the debris and did their best of removing the rubble. "Get off me you infernal beast!" Shouted Jack. "Hurry! My strength can only last for so long!" Wince the monster.

The trophies contributed their muscles to remove the debris, with all of them combined, they manage to expose the golden base to the open air. Meta-Knight gave it a tap, and they were suddenly treated to Bowser coming to life, he gave a mighty roar as threw the trash of his body.

"Where is that damn bony prick?! I got a few bones to pick with him." Bowser announced angrily.

"Not no, we need to leave. Now." Snake commanded.

Jack Grey eyes began to course with fire, he left more cracked imprints into the glass as he crawled to the cigar. The monster tried to pull him back more but it appears that she is failing.

Snake then faced Bowser and gave him an order. "Bowser! Bust through that door before it's too late." The solider pointed to the metal door that Jack locked; the exit.

The turtle's nostrils smoke with stress as he charged forward towards the door. The metal pieces were blasted off its hinges as the entrance to the outside was now open.

"Let's go, you pansies!" Bowser said. "I got a ship to catch!"

Lucario, Snake, Wolf, Ganondorf, and Little Mac ran to part without hesitation. Except Wario, He gave the tentacle monster a thankful look before running out and joining with his friends to safety.

* * *

The risks were great and there were even a few causalities, but against all odds, the Smashers achieved their goal of getting the Newcomer, though it did came at a cost, the end result was all worth it. When all of them came back, the rescue team healed themselves of their percentage, they wanted to do other things but explain the WOT to the Newcomer was a high priority. Thankfully, Meta-Knight and a few other Smashers took the job and treated the boxer to a debriefing, letting him know the true state of the world to the young teenager.

"So allow me to say this once more." Meta-Knight said. "You are not the real you, you are a clone of your original self."

"Yeah." Little Mac nodded.

"Your original self is elsewhere in another universe whiles you are currently in the WOT, a place in the Omniverse where this dimension's sole job is to prevent reality from collapsing together."

"Yeah."

"You were created by the WOT. You were hand-picked from hundreds, thousands, millions of heroes to protect this dimension. Like all of us, you are a trophy, you are one of a kind and have abilities that are similar and different to us at the same time."

"Yeah."

"Some of the abilities you have are: force-field creation, double-jumping in the air, invulnerability, and immortality."

"Yeah."

"And you're accepting all of this what we're saying with no resistance?"

"Yeah."

"You're not bewildered how you got here, or not depressed and mad about it at all?"

"Yeah."

"You don't talk much do you?"

"No."

Meta-Knight gave an amused glance to Ike and Villager, who also gave him the same look. They did not expect this. The mercenary then took the lead and spoke. "Well, Mac. Since we're finished teaching you the history of this place and who we are, you're free to do whatever you want."

"Ok." The boxer said, listening intensely at Ike's speech.

"If you want to explore the WOT for yourself and perhaps make a new life elsewhere, we'll be happy to supply you with the necessary supplies for your journey and direct you to the nearest town. Or…" The blue-haired solider put heavy emphasis on the word "Or". "You can live with us and join the Super Smash Brothers, you would get adequate housing, delicious food, and when things settle down, personal training on-"

"Join."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that?"

"I want to join."

Ike turned his head to his friends and shrugged his shoulders. Villager wanted to speak next, he stood up on the chair he was sitting, making himself presentable to the newbie. "Alright, Little Mac. Welcome to the team. If you want to get the best room possible, I would talk to Princess Peach to help you get settled in. I would tell you where to go, but I don't know where she is."

"She's in the kitchen cooking." Olimar piped up, he was standing next to the door. "I'll bring you to her. That way we don't have to run around clueless in the mansion."

"Okay." Little Mac got up from the couch and stood next to the astronaut, even though he was of smaller stature. He was taller than Olimar by comparison. "I'll see you guys, later. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Mr. Olimar sir!" Villager waved as the two exited into the hallway. "You know, when I volunteered for the debriefing, I thought it would be a terrible time. But I got to say, that guy was very accepting."

"Yeah, _way to accepting_. This guy is the easiest we had yet." Ike said

"I agree, even I believed we would have a difficult time telling Little Mac the truth." Observed Meta-Knight.

"You don't think the reason why he's calm about this is because he hated his life from his home world."

"Not likely, I checked his profile from the records we already have. Apparently this kid was from New York, he became one of the biggest boxing champions in his world. He was essentially a lesson. I wouldn't understand why he would hated leaving that behind."

"I don't think 'hate' is the right word, maybe he's just tired of it?" Suggested Villager.

"What makes you say that?" Asked the knight.

"Back in my world, I met plenty of people who were not satisfied with their life in their original homes, that's why they moved to the villager. Heck, I came there too because I wanted to try new things, live a new life you know?"

"It's certainly plausible. What do you think Meta-Knight?" Ike asked.

The knight was deep in thought. "I don't know what to say, this kid intentions are unclear. I don't believe he has nefarious intentions. I think he actually wants to do good here, he just not giving us any cues."

"Any cues?"

"He's hard to read and he has good control of his emotions, even during our scuffle with Jack Grey he was level-headed and calm. A trait I assume he got from his boxing career. No wonder he rose to the top so quickly."

"Should we keep asking him about it?" Villager questioned.

"No." the knight answered. "It's best to leave the issue alone, with a guy like that, he'll probably have an issue with us pestering him about it. If he wants to keep it to him, then let him. We'll only pressure him about it further if he's open to talk about it. It's only fair."

"Yeah I get it, I wouldn't like it if people keep asking how my day was constantly."

"So with our task over with, I think we can call it a night."

"Oh sweet!" Villager jumped from his chair, wearing a bright smile on his face. "Hey Meta-Knight! There is still enough time in the day, want to play video games with me or something."

"Sorry Villager, but I have some stuff to do, maybe next time." Meta-Knight said as he took his Galaxia off the table.

"Oh, okay. See you later Meta-Knight! Good Night!" Villager enthusiastically said as he ran out of the room, heading straight for the game room.

"Off to deliver that report to R.O.B." Ike questioned.

"Yes, he would most definitely need it."

"Well I won't keep you bust any longer, I'll see you later." Ike headed towards the door and opened it. He was about to walk out before he turned towards the knight. "Marth and I are going to spar tomorrow at 9 in the morning. Want to join?"

"Certainly, I'll be there on time."

"Alright, see you then." He closed the door.

Meta-Knight gave a nod, then looked at the metallic clip board with some notes attached to it. He reviewed the contents, and laughed to himself. "It's amazing how much trouble we get in, yet we solve it in the same day. Every time" He shook his head, he held it loose, but firm at the same time.

* * *

Meta-Knight entered the lab, there he found Lucario, Snake, Mewtwo, Mario, R.O.B., Fox, and Samus patiently waiting around the computer, when he came into the room they all perked up.

"[Meta-Knight, nice of you to join us.]" R.O.B. said.

"Here's the notes you asked for, both the mission and the interview with Mac." The smasher set the clipboard on a table and walked closer to the group. He noticed that the computer wasn't turned on. "Why are you all standing around the monitor when it's turned off? Shouldn't we have already delve deeper into the data already?"

" _We wanted to wait, until you came here. Since you we're a big help during the mission, we figured it'll be nice to wait for you to come back so we can watch it together."_ Lucario replied.

"[And we needed the notes, the answer for the second question could be in that clipboard.]" R.O.B. butted in.

" _Yes, and we needed the notes."_ Lucario rolled his eyes. He understood that R.O.B. was a work-centric individual. He always keeps track of the numbers and strategies instead of looking forward to the little things in life. Perhaps he should treat the robot to meditation later, it could do wonders. _"Since all of us are accounted for, I say we should get started."_

"Yes, I'll start the computer right now." Fox typed onto the keyboard, the screen went to life as he moved the mouse to the correct boxes. Once he got what he was looking for, he clicked.

The second question box came up.

 **Solve all three problems, and you'll gain all the pieces of the puzzle, the key of finding out who I'm really am.**

 **Question 2: Who is the "Bruiser of the Bronx?"**

"Bruiser of the Bronx? What does that mean?" Samus asked.

"Got me." Snake commented.

"Well we definitely a know that this "Bruiser" came from some a place called the Bronx. The question is? What is the "Bronx"?"

" _I believe Bronx refers to specific place in the city of New York."_ Mewtwo said.

Fox swiveled his chair to meet the Pokémon's eyes. "New York? Never heard of it."

" _You wouldn't, it doesn't exist in your home universe, but explaining that would be arbitrary. Meta-Knight, can you look over the clipboard again? Specifically on the section with the interview notes with Mr. Mac?"_

Meta-Knight took the clipboard and sped through the papers. "Oh! How could I forgotten, Little Mac really wanted me to right this title by his name. Said he very attached to it."

" _Does it happen to say: Bruiser of the Bronx?"_

"Yes." Meta-Knight said "Little Mac shared he earned that title throughout his boxing career. How did you know?"

" _An educated guess."_ Mewtwo answered. _"Since the last question revolved around the previous Newcomer, I hypothesize that this question will be based on the current Newcomer."_

"You know, It really a worries me that FW knows what the Newcomer will be, before they actually a-appear. Do you think a he has precognition?" Mario suggested.

"Don't you think that possibility is a bit far out?" Snake said.

"[It could explain a lot actually. That fact he knew information of the Newcomer is astounding. No one has ever figured out which character is going to be manifested during the Newcoming. So the chances of him having precognition are possibly high.]"

"But it still doesn't explain why this code exists in the first place or what his identity is. We're still in the dark." Said Samus.

"Perhaps we'll get more information if we answer all three questions." Fox interrupted. "Speaking of which, I'm going to input the second answer right now." The Smasher pressed more buttons on the keyboard and pressed the "enter" key.

Like last time, the screen glitched, Fox jumped slightly in his chair when 0's and 1's beamed out of the screen. They all clumped together on the desk, forming a thin long white rectangle on the desk. When the process was complete, the energy faded and the monitor when to normal. "Ah, forgot it did that."

" _What came out of the computer?"_ Lucario leaned his head to get a better look but Samus beat him to the punch and held the object in her hands.

"Huh? Are you kidding me? We worked so hard to get more info and that fancy piece of junk gave us this?" She said angry.

"Gave us what?" Questioned the solider.

"A map!" The bounty hunter raised the piece of paper in the air for all to see.

"Why's that a bad? We could use that to a-"

"A **blank** map." Samus gritted her teeth behind the helmet, she was not happy.

"[It can't just be blank, is that anything on the back?]" R.O.B. said.

She turned the paper around and her mood began to lighten. "Actually there is, It's small but there is a print on the backside here. Let me see." She brought the object closer to her face. "It says: Property of Mr. FW, inventor and star gazer of…"

"[What's wrong?]"

"The location has been scratched out, I can make heads or tails of it." She lowered the map away from her visor. "That's all it says here."

"[So my hunch of FW being an inventor was correct, however, him being also a star gazer is new information. We should keep that in mind.]"

"True, but we still don't know anything else of this guy or his origins." Fox reminded. "Hm, do you think the reason why it appears blank is because we can't see it?"

"[Are you suggesting that FW used invisible ink on the paper?]"

"With how sly and crafty this guy is, I don't doubt that for a second."

"Yeah… that makes sense." Samus acknowledge. "I'll help analyze this in the lab with R.O.B. In the meantime you three should rest. Especially you Meta-Knight, you took quite the pounding in that Casino."

" _Actually Samus."_ Lucario piped up. _"Snake, Meta-Knight, and I talked about what we were going to do when we arrived back at the mansion. We thought we would go to the hot tub before going to bed. We haven't used it in quite a while and I think now's the best time to use it. I can't think anything more relaxing than hot water caressing your body."_

Samus sighed "I don't agree with it, but if you want to go, then go. Just don't get water everywhere, okay."

" _We will."_ Lucario promised. _"Hey Mario, want to join?"_

"I would love to a join!"

" _How about you Mewtwo-"_

" _No thanks."_ The legendary Pokémon declined. _"I prefer to spend my leisure time practicing my psychic abilities, you can go on without me."_

" _If you say so. See you all in the morning, Hopefully We'll get more information out of that map."_ Lucario said as, he and three Smashers left the room.

"As do I." Samus said. "Anyway, I hope your training goes well."

" _It always does."_ Mewtwo spoke. _"Farewell you three, and good night."_ The psychic teleported into the corridor and levitated his body down the hall. On the way he heard several voice coming behind him. He stopped and listened in intently.

"So how talented are you with your fists?"

"The same way as you're talented with your sword."

"Guys, I don't think we should keep doing this, I'm feel uncomfortable pushing forward."

"That's only because you don't want to push forward. That scary little thing is not going to bite you. It's just a game."

Mewtwo turned around to see Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner walking down the hallways oblivious to his presence. They stopped in their tracks when they saw him, freezing in place.

"Oh. _**It's you.**_ " Brawler spoke in his signature tone as always, but it seems like his voice carried less venom than it was earlier within the day. Was he in a good mood?

" _Brawler, Gunner, Swordfighter."_ Mewtwo greeted. _"I see you three are in high spirits tonight."_

"Yeah, we are." Gunner said. "We been busy exploring-" The girl held her tongue for a moment, the fist-fighter was glancing at her with his evil eye. The female stuttered before lying to the Pokémon. Sadly she wasn't the type of person who could be deceptive, and gave out the worst lie possible. "Ex-exploring how to play tic-tac-toe."

Brawler and Swordfighter cringed.

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. _"You've been trying to figure out how to play tic-tac-toe, for almost the entire day?"_

"Well not just today, we've been doing last week too and-"

"What Gunner is trying to say we've been trying preoccupy ourselves, since we can't go to training or the missions, the three of us have been looking for alternative ways to… entertain ourselves." Sword butted in, he didn't want to make to conversation worse than it already has.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Brawler said as he pointed to the Mewtwo.

The psychic was going to respond but then he noticed something different about the trio: Brawler's muscles have gotten significantly bulkier, and sword's blade has gotten and pristine. The only who hadn't changed was Gunner.

"But whatever I'm not going to waste my time with you. We're going to go to the kitchen for food. I appreciate it if you don't follow. Come on guys, let's go." Brawler stopped away with the two Mii's following. They disappeared around the corridor, leaving the Pokémon all by himself.

Mewtwo had a suspicious look on his face before shaking it off. He'll deal with later, his paranoia can wait. He had other business to attend to. He snapped his fingers, generating a spark of psychic energy before vanishing from sight.


	52. Chapter 52: The Bruiser from the Bronx

**Chapter 52: The Bruiser from Bronx**

The morning sun proudly rose over the ocean as it illuminated the landscape. "Man. That is a really pretty sunset." Falco remarked. It was early in day, more than half of the mansion were asleep whiles the more the productive Smashers were already up doing their own individual tasks.

Peach was busy cooking breakfast whiles Fox, Zero Suit Samus, Link, and Ike were sitting at a small table inside the kitchen. They talked with each other and occasionally gave a glance to the princess at they awaited their meal.

"Pretty? You're getting fuzzy on me Falco?" Fox asked.

"Ha, Not a chance." The bird chuckled. "I'm just stating the obvious. Are you really going to tell me that sunset is lame?" He said, pointing to the glowing circle in the window.

"Yes, It certainly takes your breath away. I'm glad we decided to build the mansion by the beach." Ike was eagerly holding his utensils in his hands, looking at the outside before returning his gaze to the kitchen. He tried to distract himself with conservation, but he couldn't helping looking at Peach preparing that delicious food.

"Eh, I've seen things more beautiful on other planets." Zero Suit said.

Fox tilted his head slightly from curiosity. "Don't all the planets you go to either want to kill you are or just plain terrifying?"

"Not all of that way, some are actually pleasant to visit. Even the dangerous ones have its merits."

"Then why do you always focus on the negative aspects of your adventures whenever it comes up?"

"When you're focusing on surviving on a hostile alien world, admiring how cute it looks takes a second priority." The bounty hunter explained.

"All done!" Peach exclaimed, she walked towards the table with a large circular tray in hand. "Chow down!"

She placed the plates down; Fox, Falco, and Zero Suit all had a balanced breakfast of bacon, toast, and a large omelet. "Thanks Princess, I swear you're one of the best cooks in the Omniverse."

"Aw, thanks so much Fox. It means so much to me." Princess Peach said as she set her own breakfast down and sat with the rest of the Smashers.

Falco was about to cut into his omelet with his fork when he noticed Ike's breakfast. He scowled heavy as placed his utensils on the table; the birds arms were folded to his chest and he tapped his boot on the floor.

Ike was chewing on his food when he saw Falco's behavior. He swallowed and asked. "Why?"

"You're having that _dish_ again?"

The blue-haired mercenary looked down to his plate; large chicken tenders smothered in gravy. "Yeah, I am. Why do you also throw a fit whenever I order this?"

The blue trophy rolled his eyes in scorn. "Chicken tenders are a poultry-based food; I'm a bird. You can do the math."

Ike nodded a couple of times in understanding before giving his side of things. "I see your point, but this completely different. This came from a normal species of chicken and you're an anthropomorphic falcon who drives space ship."

"Don't give me all the technicalities, it doesn't change the fact you're eating a bird. Chickens exist in my universe." Falco pointed a wing at him accusingly, then put a piece of bacon into his beak.

"If you're against me eating an animal-based product, then why are you having bacon?" Ike questioned.

Falco's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Bacon is pork, pork comes from pigs, and pigs are animals. Pigs exist in your realm right?" Ike said.

"Yes they do, we have a pig as one of our biggest adversaries. Caused a lot of pain for us actually, _especially me_." Fox rubbed his head, those were some memories that he did not want to think about right now.

"So if eating animals makes me a cannibal, then you are one too." The mercenary pointed out. "You're also having eggs too; don't you know those things are a byproduct of chickens also? Or did you just never think of it that way before."

Falco stared at his plate without ease; he didn't hungry any more all of a sudden.

"I'll tell you what." Ike handed the Smasher a fork with a piece of chicken on it. "Why don't you give it a try?"

"No Way!" The blue bird shook his head. "I can't do that, I'm-"

"You give it a try and if you don't like it, I promise I'll never mention or eat chicken around you ever again." Ike said.

Falco was taken aback, Chicken was one of Ike's favorite food; he'd never missed an opportunity to have it. He was serious.

The bird turned his head to his friend Fox. "It's not as bad as it sounds, don't knock it off until you give it a try."

The blue fighter than looked at the fork nervously, despite his reluctance, he put the piece of meat into his beak and chewed. He thought he would spit it out by instinct, but was very surprised that it was delicious. "This is actually not that bad, is this how birds taste like?"

"Well not all birds taste the same, but yeah." Ike affirmed. "And don't feel guilty about it either; eating an animal chicken and eating an anthropomorphic chicken are two entirely separate things."

"Huh… what a world." Falco said as he was lost in his meal.

"Hey, before I forget, do you think one of you can get the mail today?" The princess said "No one has to go right now, we can wait after breakfast."

"You know what? I'll rather do it right now." Falco rose from his chair and walked to the door."

"You sure you don't want to finish your breakfast?" The princess said.

"I rather get this chore up and done with first, I'll finish it when I come back. Just heat it up in case it gets cold okay?"

"Okay."

Falco exited into the dining room, then when though several hallways before arriving at the front door. The knocking distracting him from rubbing his temples, they hadn't expected any visitors. "Who the hell is it?" He opened the entrance, what he saw was shocking. If his jaw wasn't firmly attached to his skull, it would've have surely fallen off.

"I'm sorry dearie, is the Super Smash Brother's residence?" A female voice asked.

"Yeah… who's asking?"

"Me. Sorry to come by so early. I just wanted to see if a friend of mine was in house today."

* * *

In the gym section of the mansion, the sounds of punching and panting could be heard all around the room. Little Mac was busy practicing his boxing skills on a punching bag, by absolute the stuffing out of it.

He was purposely burning his energy. After he grasped the true reality of what he was, he accepted it. He was feeling something that he'd never felt before, it was indescribable. He wasn't happy that he was placed but here, but he's not angry or sad about it either.

After beating Sandman, he earned the championship title-which took all of his power to accomplish-and became one of the best boxers in the world.

The next chapter of his life after that was… interesting to say the least. After Doc Louis accomplished his task of training Little Mac to be a professional boxer, they had their farewells and split-up. It wasn't a falling-out or anything like that, they left on good terms. It was just circumstance that got in the way. Little Mac had to spend his time on maintaining his title, and Doc had to go train other boxers to raise their potential. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to do the things they used to do, they had a huge celebration party and said their goodbyes. However, Little Mac still occasionally talks or visit his former trainer for old time sake, though he does have to wear a disguise so he wouldn't be recognized by his rabid fans or the paparazzi.

Despite with all the attention focused on him, being in the WVBA was one of the best decisions he made in his life. Life was so good there. But if that was the case, why does he keep remembering his time there with a frown. Well… maybe because it was _too good_.

Mac punched harder on the bag.

When he became the world champion, he didn't expect to hold onto that title forever. Every boxer he came across was either too scared to fight him or was not able to stand toe-to-toe to him and promptly lost. And all the people that kept saying how awesome he was didn't help either. His life was bordering on absolute boredom! But he was never going to resign, because doing so would mean that all the sacrifices he did to reach the top would be pointless.

He didn't want to admit it, but deep down, he wondered if he even loved boxing anymore.

The teenager deliver an uppercut so powerful, it propelled the punching bag off the chain and into the upper wall. Creating a rather large hole inside.

Little Mac began to pant and relax.

But perhaps it can all change here; there'll be no expectations to be met, no one will look at him with terrifying fear or rabid praise, and best of all, there will be challenge. He can start anew, and finally be himself. There's no doubt there will be hurdles ahead in this life, but he's willing to leap over them all for a well-deserved freedom.

Luigi swung the door open and convened inside. "Little Mac! You will a not… why's there a hole in the wall?"

Little Mac took a glance to the ceiling before turning his head ahead. "Punched the bag too hard."

"Oh… well anyway a visitor just came to the mansion, the guys a want to bring you, so you can see who it is!" The Veteran in green said.

"I'm kind of busy right now, Luigi." Spoke the Newcomer.

"But this visitor is very a important. You have to come man, you wouldn't believe a who it is!"

Little Mac sighed before positioning his head straight. "I'll go."

"Great!" Luigi's enthusiasm was profound. "They're waiting for us in the a foyer, just follow me. I'll a show you."

"Ok." The boxer answered in a dull voice and followed the Italian, wondering who this important visitor might be.

* * *

The fighters were crowding around in the shape of a circle, Mac couldn't tell what they were saying exactly but he guessed it was along the line of praise. Luigi and Little Mac looked down from above the second floor of the foyer, curious of who had visited.

They were snapped from their thoughts as something large bumped into them, followed by a cranky "Oof". Turning around they could see Wario rubbing his abdomen in comfort.

"You a startled me there for a second, Wario." Luigi claimed. "What was that a for?"

"I came to see who the guest is, then I bumped into you guys, literally. Aw man." The fat Smasher rubber his belly even more. "Hurt more than I expected."

"Well that's a fine, it's was an accident." Luigi said. "But a seriously, we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer. We should a talk to them right now."

Wario rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's get this over with."

Mac nodded. As much as it was nice to see another face around here, he really need to wrap this up so he can get back to the gym.

The three of them went down the stairs and reached the bottom, the talking was much louder now, Luigi tried to get their attention but he's voice was drowned out by the other voices.

Wario took upon himself to break the chatter. "Okay! Okay! Stop the chit-chat!" The voices simmered down immediately and turned to the staircase. They were many Smashers in the piles, one of them was Ike. "Luigi, I see you brought Wario and Little Mac. Thanks for doing so, she would appreciate that very much."

"She? Who are you referring to?" Wario Questioned.

"Our special guest of course, she's very eager to meet you both." The mercenary gestured everyone to move. The fighters obliged, and shifted their bodies away from the center to reveal a slimy green tentacle creature standing up in center. "Aw, they're you are dearies. I was afraid you two were too busy for a visit."

Little Mac's eyes widened and Wario jaw dropped. "Debra?! Is that you?" The fat trophy said.

"In the flesh."

"But how? I thought you died back in that casino."

"I came very close." Replied the tentacle monster. "I was almost slain by that skeleton and his henchmen, but I managed to avoid everything and escape to the outside."

"[Who went the entrance of the casino?]" R.O.B. questioned. "[I thought the guests that have been teleported inside the building can only teleport back and not exit to Onett. Jack there was a mechanism in place to prevent that.]"

"I believed that too dearie, but it was apparent that this mechanism was damage or blocked, because when I went through the door nothing happened and I found myself in the town. I believed it happened Mr. Grey was critical injured, which weakened the magic of the building."

"Pichu pic, chu pic chu chu?" (Wait, who on the earth is Jack?) Pichu asked his friend Jigglypuff, to which she shrugged.

Zelda took a few steps from the circle, looking majestic as she spoke in her royal voice. "In any case, Debra. All of us are very glad of what you did back in Onett. Without your help, the rescue team may have not escape from the Casino in one piece. Thank you for your service."

The slime monster put two tentacles on her body where her heart should be and gave a sigh of affection. "Aw, it was no problem dearie. I was just being a Good Samaritan. I came by here to visit to see how you all are handling yourselves."

Zelda gave a chuckle. "Well after the mission, the refrigerator was ransacked by our resident, Wario. Causing some problems, but other than that life has been swell here."

"Come on! You don't have to say in front of the new people." Whined Wario.

Debra laughed as well. "Nothing to be ashamed of dearie, I myself go on binges when I really shouldn't. It goes straight to my hips."

Mewtwo teleported closer to the monster, he was very intrigued about this whole situation and decided to ask her something. _"Speaking of visit, how did you find this place? This mansion is very isolated from the rest of society and not many people know the location of our home."_

"Oh, that's easy!" Debra answered. "I used my clairvoyant abilities to find the mansion."

"Clairvoyant?" Young Link titled his head to the side.

" _It refers to a person who has the ability of clairvoyance, the ability to perceive events that is outside of normal sensory contact. Think of randomly getting information to something you really want to know."_ The Pokémon explained. _"So you gained this ability naturally?"_ He asked.

"More akin to inherited, actually. All of my species have this ability, not just me." Debra said. "When I was finished resting up in the Onett inn, I promptly used my power to find your base. It was quite difficult."

"Why's that?" Piped up Ike.

"Well dearie, since I had no map, I had to rely on specific landmarks in my visions to make sure I was on the right path, and the walking didn't help either. But it was worth it, I really want to come by here so I can make sure that all are doing swell.

"You went through all that to say hi? That's so sweet." Peach said.

" _Traveling from Onett to the mansion on the foot is quite long and treacherous. You came all that way for a simple visit?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"No, not entirely." The green creature admitted. "I also wanted to talk to a friend again, Mr. Wario."

The circle was quite surprised by the turn of events. "You're friends with Wario?" Falco asked.

"Indeed I am." Debra slithered to the fat Smasher and stood by his side. "We first met by playing in a poker tournament. The second time we saw eye to eye he was pleading for my help, and I was compelled to give him that help. I think that was when we officially became friends. Isn't that right dearie?" She asked as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Uh… yeah, of course… eh..." Wario felt uncomfortable as he noticed some fresh slime on his shoulder. He careful scooped up the residue and secretly wiped it on the stair's banister.

"I also wanted to meet this Newcomer you've been talking so much about." The teenage perked up when he realized she was talking about him. The slime creature approached him. "Your name is Little Mac, Right?"

"Yes." Little Mac said.

"I've heard so much about you from your friends." Debra said with excitement. "I've heard that you became the world champion of boxing. That's quite an accomplishment."

"Took a lot of work."

"I bet it did. I'm so proud that you manage to do such much at such a young age. I'm so proud and happy for you. You deserved it."

Little Mac was taken aback, he never expected this kind of treatment ever. Most people would just see him for the image he'd built for himself, for someone to actually see him for what he is… phenomenal. The boxer gave a light smile and nodded his head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Debra replied.

"So Debra." Mario came forward from the group; straightening his hat. "Now that you have a arrived to the a mansion. What are you a going to do now?"

The green creature rubbed the upper portion of her body with one of its tentacles. "Um… here's the thing dearie, I didn't exactly had a plan of what to do when my visit was over. I was making it along as I went."

" _Do you have to go immediately?"_ Lucario asked.

"No, I'm not in a rush. Now that I think about it, I have nothing holding me back. I'm a free woman."

Lucario smiled. "Then why not be our guest for a while?" He extended his arms outward to signify his friendliness.

"Be your guest for a while? You really want me to stay?"

" _Of course!"_ Lucario said. "You must have been tired from that long journey you took. It would be detrimental on your health if you left right this minute. Besides, you said there's nothing else going on. We can even treat you to a tour if you like."

Debra looked at one of her tentacles; it's was wrinkled and sluggish. Apparently that walk took more energy than she expected. "Maybe resting for a bit wouldn't hurt." She admitted to herself. "I accept your proposal to a tour."

" _Great! We can't wait to show you some of the interesting parts of this place. You'll be amazed I promise."_

"You sure that's a good idea, Lucario?" Samus asked.

" _I'm only going to show her the general parts of the mansion; nothing else, so don't worry about our secrets being exposed."_ The jackal looked at the tentacle monster, then at the multitude of Smashers. _"Though I might need some people to accompany on the tour?"_

"Pika pika chu pikachu?" (How much do you need?) The large electric mouse questioned.

" _I don't need a lot, two additional partners should do."_ Lucario tapped his chin to decide what he wants. _"Mario, Fox, why don't you guys join me. Since both of you were part of the original twelve, you would know plenty of this mansion, which will be great help. So what do you say?"_

"I'll be a happy to help!" Mario exclaimed.

"Sure, why not?" Fox said.

" _Good, we're up to three. Anyone else want to join?"_

Zelda straightened up her posture and spoke. "My knowledge would be essential for something like this, I will be more than willingly to join."

"Eh… I'll pass." Wolf said.

" _Okay, we're up to four. Anyone else?"_ No response. _"No? Okay, so four it is. We'll be in charge of showing Miss Debra here around here."_

"What do you expect the rest of us to do?" Brawler rudely asked.

The blue Pokémon narrowed his eyes _. "Unless it's stupid, harmful to others and yourself, and involve inflicting damage to the base itself. You can do whatever you want."_

It was Ike's turn to speak. "Meta-Knight and I are planning on sparring each other later in the day. Maybe sometime after the tour we can show Debra some of our fighting skill. It'll be a good experience."

" _You know what? I'll take that into consideration."_ Lucario said. _"But we should be going now, I see all of you later. Peace!"_

"Peace?" Brawler repeated with disgust. "What are you? Some delusional hippie douchbag?"

" _No! I wanted to try out a new form of expression. I wanted to change by dialect for a change and I figured… Aw screw it! I'm not dealing with this. Goodbye!"_ Lucario, Zelda, Mario, Fox, and Debra went through a door and walked down a hallway, there size became smaller and smaller until they cannot longer be seen. The Smashers that have been standing around in the foyer had also began to move, they had their own devices to do and they promptly left the area. The only ones still around (aside from Little Mac) were Ike and Meta-Knight.

"Where should we set up the fight?" The mercenary asked.

"Hmm…" The knight hummed in thought. "On the beach near the mansion; there will be plenty of space and we won't damage the mansion during our battle."

"I agree. Let's set up the necessary equipment over there right now."

A fight? Little Mac could have sworn his heart-rate spiked. He's been cooped up indoors for so long. He needs this. "Wait."

The Veterans turned around. "Yes Mac?" Replied Ike.

"Can I join?"

"I guess you can, we need help setting up chairs and perhaps bring food would-"

"I wasn't talking about that." Mac said flatly.

"Than what are you… no, do you mean the fight me and Meta-Knight are having today."

"Yes, I would love to join."

"You have the heart of a warrior, Little Mac. I can respect that." Meta-Knight said. "But that is out of the question. You are Newcomer, and you haven't full adapted to this world."

"I'm not a stranger to fighting." Retorted the boxer. "I'm not like the rest of the Newcomers, I know how to pull myself in battle. I told you of my time in the WVBA, I had to deal with opponents more than twice my size, and they could easily snapped me in half like a twig if they really wanted to." Little Mac didn't like talking in long sentences, but he ignored his own wants. He hoped to convince the pair of Smashers. "But I succeed. Not just by strength alone but with my wit and agility. Please. I implore you to reconsider."

Ike and Meta-Knight looked at each other before the former sighed. "You have a point there. How about this, I'll try to put in a good word of your abilities to rest of the Super Smash Brothers. You see, we vote by majority. I'm not promising anything, but if they think you're capable, I'm sure you they'll let you participate."

Mac smiled. "Thank you, I'll won't let you down."

"Okay, but you'll have to help us drag some of the equipment to the beach."

The teenager smiled faltered but still persisted. "You got yourselves a deal."

* * *

They took what they can carry; foldable chairs in the cart and refrigerated food in the cooler. Thankfully, Marth and Mewtwo joined them in the last minute, which really reduced the time setting up the plastic seats. Sadly, hindsight was very vocal today, the sand was covering their feet like stubborn mold. Ruining the look of the shoe. At least the ocean was more than happy to clean their feet.

"It's done. The stage has been set." Marth said.

"Good, now we need to go back and tell them we're setting the fight here." Ike replied.

Mewtwo raised a paw. " _No, need. I've already taken care of that."_

"You have? When?" The mercenary questioned. "Oh, you used telepathy didn't you?"

" _Guilty as charged."_ The Pokémon answered in an unintentionally humorous flat voice. _"Lucario knows, he is gathering the rest of the inhabitants and will be arriving shortly. He and the guest are treading here as we speak."_

"What's it like?"

" _What?"_ Mewtwo turned to Little Mac, who was very curious of the psychic's abilities.

"Telepathy, what's it like to use it? Is the process similar to a phone?"

" _So you're curious. It's hard to explain the functions of telepathy to a non-psychic. But I can tell you what I did now, was akin to texting. But it goes deeper than that. Why'd you ask?"_

The boxer didn't meet his eyes, turned his head to the ocean in wonder. "I've been registering all the information I've been getting. This is so strange, but at the same token, so interesting. It feels I've been rebirthed in something else, something majestic. Something phenomenal."

" _Like the phoenix?"_

"Yeah, in a sense. Are you a phoenix too?"

" _All of us here rose from the ashes one way or another. Some just haven't realized their true potential yet."_

"Yeah… true potential." Little Mac observed the WVBA logo on his gloves, then looked at the Smash Brothers symbol on the cooler. "Maybe I need a new awakening."

Before anyone could say anything else, a faint voice grasped their attention. _"There you are! You could have said exactly where you guys were on the beach!"_ Over on the horizon, they could see Lucario, Debra, and whole plethora of Smashers. No one could tell if all of the fighters were there, but one thing is for sure. They have quite the audience.

They got closer till the group stopped at the chairs. "You live near the beach. That's so amazing dearie. You're so lucky!" Said the creature as she sat down.

" _I guess we were."_ Lucario acknowledged as he placed his rump in the chair. _"When we founded the mansion, we had no idea that we were this close to the ocean. It's been a big help to us."_ Lucario panted. _"We were going in circles; I'm going to ask again, why didn't you just tell where you were on the beach instead of me going through all that pain?"_

Mewtwo gave a faint smirk. _"I thought you were more than capable of finding it on your own. Besides, you need the exercise; you've been gaining a lot of weigh on your thighs."_

"Oh! You got burned!" Wario shouted in the background.

Lucario turned his back around and placed his paws on the back of the chair. _"Shut! Up Wario! You're the one to talk. People, who live in glass houses, should not throw stones!"_ The jackal shouted back at the fat Smasher, surprising everyone with his break in tone.

"You alright dearie? You seemed to be stressed?" Asked a concerned Debra.

" _Sorry, I have been crabby today. Must not have gotten enough sleep last night."_ Lucario rubbed his temples to relax the headache pounding through his skull. He then found a bottle of water floating in mid-air, looking over to the right, he could see that Mewtwo was responsible for its movement. _"Figured you may be thirsty."_

" _I am thank you."_ The aura-user grabbed the bottle and screw off the cap. He took a couple of gulps and sighed with pleasure. _"I need that. So are we going to start the battle?"_

Ike stepped forward. "We're ready, but we got to ask all of you before we start."

" _Okay… so what is it?"_

"I'm going to be blunt here. Little Mac wants to join in the fight with me and Meta-Knight."

Lucario almost sprung up from his seat when he heard that. _"What?! Are you serious?"_

"I'm very serious, Mr. Lucario." Little Mac said. "I wanted to see how the members of the Super Smash Brothers fight first hand. Might be a good learning experience."

" _Out of the question."_ The Pokémon retorted _"You're not ready to fight, not at this moment."_

"On the contrary. I think he's more than ready. Hell! I'm willing to bet he's better than you." Lucario turned around to see Brawler standing from his chair. Ignoring Gunner's pleas to sit down.

The jackal sighed. _"I've told you this before, Brawler. This world is very dangerous and you Newcomer's aren't fully adapted to fight yet."_

"Maybe if you actually taught us how to fight instead of coddling us, perhaps we can stand our ground. Can't believe you're scared of a coward with only two letters in his name." The fist-fighter said the last sentence to himself. "But I'm not arguing about that now, Little Mac should be able to join."

" _But he's an adolescent!"_

"That adolescent kicked the ass of boxer of his home universe." Brawler pointed out. "I saw how he fought in the ring, he's not a push-over."

"Yeah! I agree!" Wario voiced his opinion. "He pulled his weight in the casino. If he didn't injured Jack Grey, we would have been in huge trouble!"

"Can I ask a question? It has to do with this situation." Debra asked.

" _Of course, what is it?"_ Replied Lucario, his optimism rose. Perhaps Debra can plead his case.

"I've heard from one of your Smashers that trophies are immortal and immune to pain. Is that true?"

"I can answer that." Zelda said. "To cut it short, we eternal beings that can be destroyed or hurt what so ever. We can receive internal damage but we can easy be revived on a moments noticed."

"So they can't die or be scarred."

"Correct."

"Well, in that case. I don't see any problems letting the boy fight at all." The creature said with a delightful tone. Murmurs of agreement was passed around through the seating area, more of the Smashers are warming up to the idea.

So much for hope. Lucario shook nervously, he had to do something or he'll lose for sure. Out of options he went to his last resort. _"How about we vote on it? It'll be the easiest way to decide."_

"Oh, so now you become more reasonable?" Grumbled Brawler. "Well at least it's a step in the right direction."

"Settle down, everyone. If we're going to vote, it's best to commence it now." Meta-Knight commanded. "For those who don't want Little Mac to participate, raise your arm." Several arms went up in the air with Lucario paw being extended to the limit. When he saw the results, he knew that it was all over.

"And for those that want Little Mac to participate, raise your arm." The multitude of limbs rose from the crowd like undead hands poking out of the ground, a bad precedent is about to be set.

"Okay… 1…4...10… its official! Little Mac can join." Ike said.

" _Wait! Let me say something first."_ Lucario interrupted.

"Oh! Come on!" Voiced an angry fist-fighter.

" _I know how the vote went, but here me out! It's imperative that-"_ The jackal felt a tangible pressure on his shoulder. He turned around to see Snake behind him. "Lucario please, give it a rest. The kid could handle himself." Hearing that from his longtime friend, he felt more than dirt, but wouldn't dare to reveal that to anyone. Painfully exhaling, he sat back down in his chair, staring at the sand with exhaustion.

"Let's get in position; we got a fight to uphold." Said the knight. Most of the fighters watch whiles some of the cheery trophies such as Peach and Villager clapped in support for whoever wins. Meta-Knight, Ike, and Little Mac walked away from the chairs until they were at a safe distance. Then the three of them arranged in a triangular position, giving each participating the necessary room they need to formulate their actions.

"So you're new to this organization and you already think you can take on the big league? I must say, I admire your courage." Ike admitted.

"I thank you for your complement, but I can tell you have your doubts. Courage is not my only superpower; I have the strength to back up my merit as well." Little Mac said.

"That maybe true, but you're in our world now. You really think you can face off two skilled warriors armed with swords?"

"Can't be too difficult. After all, I won against a Donkey Kong look alike and won without a scratch."

Ike broke from his stance and looked dumbfounded. "What?"

"I'll tell you about it later." Mac cracked his neck and put his best knee forward. "So when's the match going to start?"

"It already has, somebody needs to make the first move." Meta-Knight replied.

Mac and Ike returned to their stances and stared at each other deeply in the eyes. Their muscles twitched as they began anticipating who would break first. Concentration was broken when the round knight teleported behind the mercenary and delivered a quick slash on his back.

Ike swiveled around and swung his sword at his wings. The knight ducked to the ground to avoid the radiant blade; then he twirled his body around like a drill and went flying towards his opponent. The blue-haired warrior then stabbed his weapon into the sand and blue fire sparked everywhere. The ground under him transformed to glass as he cancelled Meta-Knight's attack and pushed him to the ground.

Seeing an opportunity, Little Mac sprinted to Ike and distributed several punches to Ike's abdomen before ending with a solid blow to the throat. The Veteran stumbled back, couching heavily as he went out of breath.

Mac tried to creep forward but then heard the shuffling of sand behind him; he saw that Meta-Knight was getting up. Thinking fast, he brought his right arm backwards and delivered a powerful uppercut to the knight's mask, he shouted his surprise when he flew into the air like a cannonball.

The boxer was shocked; he didn't think he had that much power. The physics of this world must be different from his world. He didn't have time to think about that, a large hand grasped his hair and was subsequently lifted off the ground.

The Newcomer was turned around in an embarrassing fashion and came to face to face with a pissed off Ike. He shook his head from the side to side slowly before tossing him in the air and swung his sword at him like a baseball bat. And like a baseball he soared through the sky. It was a magnificent homerun.

The feeling of acrophobia was setting it, and with him spinning around did not help what so ever. Even though he was scared, he had to keep going. If only he could get back on solid land.

He got his wish, _but not in the way he expected._ As he was gliding downwards with his bat wings, Meta-Knight saw the kid who punched him. Deciding to get back on the teenager, he disappeared into his cloak and reappeared in front of his target, shocking him. Then the knight quickly spun around in a clockwise motion; slashing Little Mac multiple times, with the last slash hurling the Newcomer to the ground.

Some of the Smashers gasped at the turn of events; Lucario was gripping his seat, his brute strength dent the plastic.

' _I'm not going to lie, this hurts.'_ Mac thought as moved around in the crater. _'But I can't give up now, without giving it my all. I. Must. Push. Forward!'_ The same Smashers that had gasped were now gawking and cheering at Little Mac, who had pushed himself up onto his feet, and now was running straight to the fight. Lucario relaxed his paws.

"That kid is strong as nails, and his strength is overwhelming." Snake observed. "If he was introduced in the Brawl age as a trophy, I bet he would've have been a great help fighting against the Subspace Emissary. Wouldn't you agree Lucario."

" _Yeah… sure."_ The Pokemon was not looking at the solider; he was leaning uncharacteristically at the battle. Looking quite despondent.

Snake brow furrowed. "Alright, what's wrong?"

" _Nothing. I'm fine."_

"It's not "nothing" Lucario, your ears are dropping. That only happens when you're depressed. What's going with you?"

Lucario took a long breath; he relished the cold wind on his fur before reluctantly answering. _"I've been thinking… of my past decisions."_

"About what happened to Gunner right?"

" _No."_

"No?" Snake was perplexed. "You were distraught about the "Ant Incident" for days. Are you telling it doesn't affect you anymore?"

" _Not exactly."_ Lucario said. _"It still bothers me, but not as much as it used. I think there was another factor that I didn't take in account when Gunner got hurt."_

"Another factor?"

" _You know my species are cable of seeing and manipulating aura right? Well we have an additional ability of called empathy; we can feel the emotions of others."_ The jackal explained with detail. _"Lucario's and Riolu's have this ability natural just like aura, but it's very hard to turn off sometimes. Arceus, I can remember all the times when I couldn't stop channeling others emotions into me; it was overwhelming for me and the other persons involved."_

"How does this have to do with Gunner?"

" _I didn't think of this at the time, but when Gunner got freed from her trophy state, I must had subconsciously channeled her emotions into me. That was the reason I was depressed for weeks. I fixed the imbalance within my emotions recently but that experience left its mark. I suppose._

"How recent was this?"

" _I fixed a week ago."_

"Why didn't you tell us then when you found out?" Snake demanded. "We could've have done something."

The jackal shook his head. _"Didn't think it was worth bothering everyone with my problems; so I decided to handle it myself."_

"Lucario, you know that's not how things work around here." Snake said. "Me, you, everyone here is part of the team. If someone has a problem it affects all of us. You can't be doing this."

" _I know. I know."_

"It's too late now, but if something like this happens again, you have to tell us."

" _Alright… if I'm in trouble. I'll voice it out."_

"Okay, okay…" The solider massaged the back of his head before continuing the conversation. "You said you still had a problem. What was that?"

" _It was… eh."_ Lucario rubbed the bridge of his snout. _"I'm sorry, but we talk about this later."_

"Lucario-"

" _Tonight, I'll tell you tonight. I have a headache and I'm not in the best mood. I promise I'll tell you and every living soul in this mansion if you wish."_

Snake sighed. "Fine, but you are going to tell me."

" _For sure. For sure."_

As Ike and Mac was busy dodging and trading blows, Meta-Knight from above shifted his wings so he can aerodynamically dive downwards to the fight. The boxer somehow accidently generated a force-field around himself, do to his first use of this ability, he was very confused, allowing the Veteran to slam his blade into the energy shield; it broke instantly.

The strain of having his force-field broken was too much to bear for his mind. Stars practically circled around Mac's head; he couldn't even tell what was happening anymore. He was dazed.

Ike raised his sword with the pointed end directed downwards; he charged blue fire into his weapon. With each second passing, it was getting hotter and hotter. "Little Mac, if you can hear this, I just want to say that I'm impressed in your abilities so far, but you still have so much to go. Nothing personal." The mercenary said in the most stoic and polite tone of voice.

The blue-haired fighter was about to stab his sword into the sand, but then he saw something in the reflection of his weapon: Meta-Knight speeding behind him; fast approaching.

In a controlled panic, Ike turned around and embedded his sword into the ground just as the flying Veteran was about to attack. The fire surrounded Meta-Knight and inflicted heavy damage onto him, he gained too much percentage for his body to bear, and in a quick flash, was turned into a trophy.

Mewtwo levitating in a cross-legged position by the chairs, casually used his telekinesis to grasp the statue in mid-air, and then placed it right beside him.

"Aren't you going to free him?" Young Link asked.

" _I'll activate him after the tournament, it's best to wait."_ The psychic Pokémon said.

Ike felt momentary relief repelling and defeating his attacker, sighing as he wiped the sweat of his bandana. It was short, when Little Mac regained lucidity. The teenager shook his head erratically before clenching his teeth behind his lips, delivering a heavy blow to the mercenary's back.

The Veteran shouted in pain as he slid across the sand; after which he stood on his feet almost immediately. Ike focused his attention at the boxer and crouched down to his knees; air behind him blew everywhere as he speeded over to the Newcomer in a flash-slashing at Mac's midriff. Following after he kicked Little Mac in the face, distributed another kick to his right leg, then ended with a single swing of his sword at is chest.

The boxer was flung in the air and fell to the ground, he was on his knees now, trying to withstand the amount of percentage within him. He wondered if this was it, has he finally lost his touch, has the magic finally disappeared?

' _No… not at all.'_

Prompted by the amount of pain his sustained in the fight had finally reached his limit, a surge of adrenaline course through his veins. The fatigue disappeared, replaced by rejuvenating strength-and a renewed will.

Ike charged at his enemy with sword in tow, he tried to slash his opponent but Little Mac dodged to the right. The mercenary gripped both of his hand on the handle and did an underhand sweep with his blade, the boxer avoided the attack again by doing a flip in mid-air. When he landed, he rolled both wrists before uppercutting Ike with absolute force-it was a knockout.

The Veteran was turned to a trophy and flew in the air, the statue spun several times in a vertical rotation before landing on the golden base.

When it was for sure he won, Little Mac turned to the rest of the Smashers, who were stunned. Shortly after, most of them either cheered loudly or clapped in respect. The teenager was stunned by absolute nostalgia, he never believed he would experience something like this again. He really was home.

Mac did an over exaggerated bow, upon finishing, he picked up the inanimate Ike and placed it by the Meta-Knight statue. "So… how do we free them?" He asked Mewtwo.

" _The reviving process is simple."_ The Pokémon said. _"All you need to do, is make physical contact with the base."_

"So, touching?"

" _Yes."_

Mac sat on one knee and began to observe the gold plates, deciding on which statue to touch first, he carefully extended his left glove to the left base-lightly tapping it. Since he was close to the light-which hurt his eyes-he accidently bumped the last base by accident.

Both statues were engulfed in a flurry of glowing protons, then faded away completely to reveal Meta-Knight and Ike, completely back to their normal selves. The knight looked dumbfounded but the mercenary knew exactly what happened.

"What… I was turned into a trophy wasn't I?"

" _Yep, you certainly right Meta-Knight."_ Lucario rose from his chair, accompanied by Snake. The jackal seemed to be in a better mood as he came to approach. _"I have to say, that fight was most impressive."_

"Yes, I would have to agree." He said as he gazed at the islands of cracked glass in the seas of sand. "But one question ponders my mind. Who won?" The knight turned to Ike, who shook his head.

"Nope, not me."

"That would mean…" Meta-Knight droned as he turned to the boxer. "You defeated Ike? How?"

"I dodge. I uppercutted." Little Mac explained in the fewest words possible.

Snake was astounded. "It hasn't been close to a week, and you already battled against two top Veterans, and won." Snake lips twitched into a faint smile and pulled out a cigarette lighting it. "I think we have a keeper here, Lucario."

" _Yeah, looks like it."_ His mystic eyes scanned the teen for any damage, however, a sense of longing nostalgia and love distracted him from his task. Another complication.

Multiple sounds of sickly slapping burrowed into their ear drums, getting their attention. Debra was using all of her tentacles to slam into each other. It appears that she was trying to clap.

"My golly, good show, good show!" The slime monster announced to her heart's content. "That was a splendid battle dearie, I haven't felt excited like this in years!"

"Wait, you actually like watching fights?" Falco asked as he rested lazily in his chair. "I never expected that from something like you."

"I'm not some old woman dearie, I can raunchy whenever I like, and now is one of those times." She paused her clapping to tell her piece before resuming. "Thank you so much you three, I'll remember this moment forever."

Little Mac blushed, it felt so weird to be praised again for his work once again.

A lot of the Smashers have left their chairs and was now forming a circle around the Newcomer, in the same light as Debra. He was almost overwhelmed by all the attention.

"That last punch was awesome, how'd you pull it off?"

"If Lucario says yes, do you want to have a fight sometime into the future?"

"Heh, I can see why they call you the Bruiser of the Bronx!"

All those smiling faces, not begging for autographs, actually seeing him as an actual person. He smiled.

Yep it's official.

' _I'm going to love it here.'_

* * *

By the time the event was over, it was becoming dusk. Most of the Smashers separate from the party to either sleep in their rooms, or went elsewhere to bide their time. Only a handful of Smashers remain, including Lucario, Snake, Little Mac, Falco, Meta-Knight, and Ike. As of now, they escorting Miss Debra to the foyer by her request. When they arrived, Debra leaned against the stairs banister to catch her breath.

"Are you okay, Debra?" Snake asked. "Do I have to call a doctor?"

"No, it's fine dearie." The creature was now standing straight. "I needed a slight break, my body isn't as energized as it used to be. It will worn off after a while, then I can go back."

"Go back where?" Falco questioned. "Do you have a home or something?"

"Not yet, but I think I have an idea in mind." Debra said. "You remember that town that I traveled from, Onett? I've been considering, and I believe the best course of action would be to move there."

"For how long?"

"Permanently." She announced with glee.

" _Permanetly?!"_ Lucario was shocked. _"What about moving back to your original home?"_

"You mean the trans-dimensional portal inside Jack's casino?" Replied Debra. The jackal cringed slightly, he still didn't believe that place was capable of dimensional travel, but he decided not to speak his mind. "Well, I didn't want to bring this up dearie, but I think I can trust you why I don't want to go."

The slime monster took a moment to collect her thoughts, then spoke again. "Back on my home world, there used to be plants and animals of all kinds everywhere, it was so beautiful." She said with blinding nostalgia.

"The way you're phrasing your story sounds like everything went wrong." Snake acknowledge.

"Right on the mark dearie, right on the mark." She whispered with a sad smile. "I don't recall how it exactly happened, but sometime, I would say ten years ago was when it was all ruined. My species were entering the corporate age, and a lot of big companies came to rise. They exploited the natural world. They either harvested stuff from the environment, or turned them into soulless zoos or attractions."

Lucario eyes were opened, being the natural lover himself, he has horrified to hear this. "That's disgusting! And no one tried to stop them?"

"There were some that tried to fight against this, but they were considered a fringe minority. I was part of that minority." She was frowning now. "When I knew that my actions were in vain… I gave up. I went to the casino just to drown my sorrows. But after seeing you stand your ground against Jack. That… that reignited my hope again, and when I left the place. I couldn't believe my eyes: trees, grass, fuzzy cute cats! It was heaven. And that's when I realized I found my new home." Little Mac raised his eyes to Debra, and smiled. He wasn't the only one.

"So how are you going to adapt to life there, the culture is very particular." Falco said, earning a small zap from Ness. "Ow! Come on you know it's true! Oww!"

"Settle down, children. Let the lady speak." Meta-Knight warned.

"The people were very nice, I don't think I'll have any issue as long as I pull my weight." She tapped a tentacle on her chin. "Although, they all act pretty weird."

"Yeah, they have a habit of doing that." Ike said as he shook his head. "So do you need transport from us?"

"No, I can walk back."

" _That's a long walk, Debra. Consider your age and stamina, do you really think it's best for you to go out at condition-especially at night?"_ Lucario Questioned.

Debra huffed in annoyance. "I can handle it, Mr. Blue dog. I'm not weak, I'm strong. After all, if I can handle an immortal skeleton, I can handle some buzzards." She reassured. "I'm fine, trust me."

" _If you say so, just… please stay safe."_

"I will dearie, I will." She chuckled.

"Will we see you again?" Wario asked.

"Why of course, dearie." She patted the fat Smasher on the head. "I'm not going to abandon you all for a second. If it's okay with you all, I plan to visit once every one or two weeks. Is that okay with you all?"

"We're more than happy to accept." Meta-Knight said.

"That's lovely. I hate to break to you all, but I think it's time for me to go. Once again I must say, thank you." She shook the hands of multiple Smashers at once with absolute glee.

" _No, thank you."_ Lucario presented himself in a confident voice. _"Stay safe, Debra."_

"I will, dearies! Goodbye and goodnight!" She waved, sliding over to the front door and exiting out to the porch. She gave one last wave before closing the door shut.

"She was a really a nice person, I hope we get to meet more people like the future." Ike said as he locked the entrance, then he turned back. "Alright, I'm going to the hot springs to relax before bed, I'll see you all tomorrow."

The remaining trophies diverged, all going in random directions with a task in mind. Lucario and Snake were walking down the hallway to their rooms when the jackal asked. _"Still interested in knowing?"_

"I am." He said. "So, one last time. **What's bothering you**?"

Lucario closed his eyes, activating his Aura Vision to maintain his aura. _"Sometimes I wonder if I take things too far."_

"Too far? How so?"

" _After the ant mission, I became scared that the same thing could happen to the rest of the Newcomers. The world was getting more dangerous; I became so paranoid."_

"I understand why you would want to prevent Newcomers joining the mission, but I'd always wondered, why did you include a training ban in the vote as well?"

The Pokémon scratched his ears in shame. _"I don't even think of the reason why, I just followed my heart I suppose."_

"Do you regret it?"

" _Maybe a little, maybe I should have toned have down a bit."_ Lucario stopped in place so he can formulate his sentence. _"It was stereotypical of me to assume that all the Newcomers were inexperienced and weak in their skills, Little Mac proved it. I hate to admit it, but maybe there is something to what Brawler has been saying to me."_

"So you admit he's right and you're wrong?"

Lucario laughed. _"Don't be a smartass. I admit, he may have a point regarding training, but he's still fooling himself. I think when dawn comes around; we should try to convince the mansion to reinstate training again. Hopefully we can prepare for the WOT and keep them preoccupied at the same time. Kills two stones with one bird."_

"It's actually the other way around, but yes, I think that's for the best. But what the actually missions. When do you want them to be out in the field?"

" _I don't know but certainly not now; we can cross that road when we come to it. Right now I want to sleep."_

"Okay, we can deal with it later." Snake pulled out his pack of cigarettes; he popped up the flap when the jackal asked him. _"Hey, before we split, can I have a try of those?"_

Snake tilted his head. "I thought cigarettes and you _didn't get along_?"

" _I was in a different state of mind, it's worth another try."_

The solider shrugged; he lit the cigarette and handed it to his friend. The blue mutt wrapped his muzzle around the rod, blew, and then sucked. He took it out from his lips immediately and continued to cough harshly for a minute and a half. He handed it back to Snake, who began to help himself with the burning cigarette.

" _Yep, still don't like them. I guess it was never meant to be."_

"Nah it's not that, you're just not used to the good stuff in life.


	53. Chapter 53: A Bad Feeling

**Chapter 53: A Bad Feeling**

The yellow clumps of joy simmered on the graceful plastic, inventing an aura of comfort and quality. It was common thing to have when the sun peers its head over the earth. Even though her eyes stared at delightful mush every single day, she never got tired of it.

"Hey Brawler, can I have some of your pancakes?"

"What? No, this is all I have to eat. You have: bacon, toast, potatoes, and an omelet. Why do you need pancakes on top of that?"

"It's just a question dude."

"Yeah, a stupid question."

But she did get tired of that. Gunner lifted her head from her plate of eggs to see Brawler and Sword bickering at each other on the dining table. She could never figure out why they were at each other's necks all the times. Were they envious of each other, or is it just a way to spar with their pride? She'll never know. But good thing she knows how to stop it. "So guys, what do you think of the new people?"

The two male Mii's stopped arguing. "New people?" Asked the sword wielder.

"Uh, you know… the Newcomers?"

"Oh right… yeah." Swordfighter spun his fork into his omelet, formulating a sufficient answer for the young lady. "I think they're all great so far, all the Newcomers have either been so polite or so interesting. I hope I get the chance to make friends with them when I get the chance."

"Eh, they suck." Brawler said.

The blonde eyes were bulging. "They suck?! What do you mean they suck?"

Brawler leaned against his chair, putting his legs on the table. "Wii Fit is a health dictator, Mega Man is too naïve, Rosalina reminds me of Peach, and Villager is a kid."

"A kid, that's your only reason for hat-uh, passionately disliking him?" Gunner questioned.

"Yep."

"Come on, that's a weak excuse any you know it." Sword pointed out. "You were a kid once too you know."

"Yeah I was." The fist-fighter admitted. "I also realized how much of a bratty demon I was back then and tried to atone for my mistakes. Damn, it's so depressing that we gave the future to those little turds."

"Kind of hypocritical, since you are one."

"What did you say blondey?"

"What about Little Mac?" Gunner interrupted. "Do you dislike him as well?"

"The boxer? Nah, he's good in my book."

"Is that so?" Sword raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't talk too much, and he's not nosey." Brawler explained. "Most everyone else in this mansion interrupts you at the worse time, I hate that."

One of the doors to the room swung opened. Villager came running into to the table; excitement apparent on his face. "Guys, Guys, you would not believe what happened! The gym has been finally opened for-Wahhh!" The kid tripped over a section of the rug. Before he face-planted, a flower in a pot materialized into his hands and flew into the air. The plant did several turns above before crashing down on Brawler's breakfast; there was dirt all over the syrup and bread.

Brawler took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You know, I would be enraged right now. But I just don't care right now."

"Oh, my god!" Villager picked himself of the floor and rand to the table. "I'm soooo sorry guys! I came here to tell you something and I fell-and-and-and-"

"Calm down, buddy. It's no big deal." Gunner said, the Smasher could have sworn that she heard a "the hell it is." From Brawler's direction.

Sword was about to speak but was distracted from an unfamiliar odor. "Ugh! What is that smell?"

"That would be that manure I'd put in the pot." The boy twiddled his thumbs sheepishly. "I use as a fertilizer."

"Manure… that's cow poop, right?"

"Well not just cow poop, but… "

"I see. Hey sword! I changed my mind." Brawler slid his plate of ruined pancakes to the blonde. "I'm more than happy to give my piece. Eat up!"

"Bite me."

"I rather eat the flower."

"Guys, not now please! Now's not the time to argue. It's a good day!" Gunner pleaded. She was successful in halting the exchanges of insults but they were still staring each other in the eye with spite. "What's this thing you wanted to talk us about?"

"I wanted to tell you guys that they're going to allow us to train again!" Villager said gleefully, forgetting his accident.

The trio stopped in their tracks, they looked at the Newcomer all bug-eyed. "They're reinstating training? Who?" Sword asked.

"The Veterans, of course." The mayor answered. "I heard they voted on it recently and it passed. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"They voted? How come we weren't invited?" Brawler questioned.

"Apparently the vote was Veteran-only; said that a difficult choice like this requires people with the experience to make."

"And where did you hear that from?"

"Wario."

"You know that guy lies out of his teeth right, you gotta stop…" Brawler paused and shook his head. "Never mind. What about allowing us on the missions? Did that passed too?"

"Nope, just the training." Villager said.

"Great." The fist-fighter leaned against his chair. "At least something came good came out of that circle jerk."

The boy tilted his head. "What's a circle jerk?"

"Something that will scar you for life." He said as he took a sip of his orange juice.

"Brawler." Sword warned.

"I'm not going to tell him."

"So when is training going to start again?" Gunner asked.

"Uh… right now." The mayor replied with a smile.

Gunner, Sword, and Brawler raised their heads in surprise, before looking at one another to confirm their disbelief.

* * *

Rows of boxes and cardboard cutouts stood tall in an open field of grass and dandelions. A lone wood-pecker took rest on a barrel, enjoying the texture of its perch. The bird was about to work when it saw something bright coming its way. It flew out of sight as a sphere of solar energy collided with the object; it was disintegrated instantly.

Wii Fit outstretched her back in satisfaction. "How was that?"

"The way you are utilizing your move, Sun Salutation is outstanding." Marth said. "But I see you're lacking in with your soccer ball projectile."

"You mean my Header?"

"Yes. Try to experiment with that ability; work out the kinks, know how to guide it, be aware of air resistance, that sort of thing. To become a great Smasher, you got to know what you can do and use it to your benefit."

"Hm. Okay I'll do that."

"Great! If you got any questions, then just let any of us know." The lord patted her on the shoulder, signaling the fitness trainer to continue as he went elsewhere. Marth was glad he got to advise again. When Lucario and Snake suggested that training be brought back via vote, he was surprised considering they were the ones who started the ban in the first place. _But he's not complaining_.

Missing several weeks of preparing proved to be detrimental, however. With uncertainty plaguing the world at large, Marth, Mewtwo, and Meta-Knight tried to make up for lost time by skipping less important lessons and jumping straight to the main course-combat!

A shooting range was set up for those who naturally possess projectiles, whether they had few or many, they were required to test their limits there. Megaman and Rosalina seemed to have a good grasp of their powers thanks to their past experience, but Wii Fit and Villager was lagging behind due to their profession. But he knew it in his heart that they would succeed.

"Haaa-YAAARGGGHH!" The sound of crackling fire and screaming got the attention of the blue-haired swordsman, he turned around to see Little Mac with his right hand held up high to the blue sky, Meta-Knight fanned out the burning pile of white fabric and smoking cotton with his bat-like wings.

Mewtwo face-palmed in annoyance. _"That was the third punching bag in a row, Mac. We only have a limited supply of these and you are literally burning through them."_

"Sorry."

Marth smiled. Since Mac relied only on punches he was unable to participate in the range. Thankfully Meta-Knight had the idea of bringing out stuff for the teenager to punch at. He never thought a kid at the age of adolescence can be so strong. Yes, he is a glass cannon, and air combat was not a thing he specialized in. But he made up for it with his game on the ground, not to mention he is very fast to learn. For him, this will probably be another boxing tournament.

But it's unfair for him to focus on the best of the patch, all members should have equal attention in nurturing their skills. Which reminds him… "Do you guys think one of us should go look for Villager? He should have been back with those Mii's now." Marth asked the class.

"I'm over here, Mr. Marth!" The mayor's voice boomed through the air, he and the trio were jogging from the mansion grounds towards them. "Sorry! I didn't know where they were. Apparently, the three of them were having breakfast."

"Did Brawler and Swordfighter bicker again?"

"Yep."

"Woah, woah, woah." The fist-fighter interrupted. "Do you guys assume me and Sword are at each other's necks all the time?"

" _Yes, the entire mansion seen the drama at this point."_ Mewtwo said. _"Some even bet whether you two are going to fight are not, and who's going to win."_

Brawler groaned. "I thought the Super Smash Brothers were beyond gossip?"

" _Gossip is one thing, pointing out a trend is another."_

"Whatever."

Gunner stepped forward. "So is it true? Is training really back?"

Marth nodded. "Your eyes don't deceive you, we are actually reinstating it." He gestured to the field. "We have to rush the process a little bit. But it's just as effective."

"Yeah, Villager said it was decided by a vote." Swordfighter said. "Did Lucario had trouble accepting it?"

"Actually, he was the one who suggested the vote in the first place."

Brawler's head did a swift turn to the Hero-King when he learned that information. "Lucario? You mean the same dog who was so protective of us to the point of unintentionally torture? Good. The mutt finally realized to pull his head of his as-" Meta-Knight teleported to the fist-fighter, despite his small size he managed to appear intimidating. "Don't speak such words about one of our own, it does nothing but create strife and conflict. Show some respect."

It had no effect on Brawler. "I did no such thing! I was just speaking my mind, there's nothing wrong with that. What are you, the thought police?" The argument was starting to attract some noise; a couple of the Newcomers looked at them in curiosity.

" _It's not just about the words, you've have consistently shown contempt to me and Lucario."_

"What's your point?"

" _I don't' know why you dislike us so much, but let me tell you something, even without my powers I can tell you have issues."_ Mewtwo spoke bluntly. _"Your anger is getting more… unrestrained, more volatile. I've been on the very same path you on currently. Don't indulge yourself. It'll only tear yourself part in the end."_

Brawler relaxed and replied in a calm but stern voice. "Really? A guy like you had an experience of something like that?"

" _All of us here have gone through our own struggles, you just happen to forgot yours."_

The conversation was self-contained but was tense regardless. Gunner feeling much uncomfortable tried to steer the conversation to something else. "So uh, what are we going to do for training again?"

Villager was confuse from the verbal fight but shook it off when he heard the Mii's question. "Oh! We are going to shoot and stab stuff." He said with a smile, gaining a perplexed look from the trio.

"We are practicing how to use projectiles effectively, as well as understanding the basics of melee combat."

"That makes much more sense." Sword nodded.

"So you guys up for it?" Marth asked. "There is still plenty of targets for you to try."

Brawler was about to say yes, but remembered something important that the he and his friends have to check before they accept the offer. "Actually, I don't think we can do it right now."

The lord raised an eyebrow. "I thought you three were excited for the chance to do practice again. Especially you Brawler, I remember that you caused quite a scene when you heard that training was postponed?"

"Trust me, I was passionate about training-I still am. But before we can start, Sword, Gunner, and I need to check something real quick." Brawler turned to the shooter and blade wielder. "Right guys?"

The two of them knew what he was referring to; Sword nodded, but Gunner was hesitant. "Are you sure we can't wait? It's probably not even ready at this time of the week."

Mewtwo started to get invested in the conversation and slowly levitated to them.

"We have to get it done as soon as possible, Gunner, you know that." Brawler said. "It's imperative that the three of us gets a try before we stop, if it's not ready we'll come back here. What do you say?"

Gunner shifted nervously looking at Gunner, then at Swordfighter. She didn't want go through with it, but the shooter knew, it had to be done. "Ok, I guess." She lamented.

The blonde nodded. "Great! We should probably get some supplies before we start."

" _Start what?"_ Mewtwo had teleported behind Swordfighter, momentarily making him flinch.

"None of your business dick-tail." Brawler insulted. He was not going to let his #1 adversary get in the way of their goal.

" _What's with the hostility Brawler, it was just a question? No need for hostility."_ Mewtwo pressed, standing his ground. _"You speak highly of this "thing" that you three do a lot. What is it?"_

"As a said, none of your business." The fist-fighter reminded. "We're just going to do our own thing, it's nothing."

" _I would believe you, but you seemed to different than you were several weeks ago. I distinctly remembered that Swordfighter's sword was less shiny than it used to be-"_

"Well yeah, he got the habit of cleaning it more-"

" _And that your muscles used to be flabbier than it is now."_

Brawler was offended. He rose a finger to speak but the words didn't come out of his mouth. He stayed like that until he gave up. "I'm not dealing with your mind games, Mewtwo. Leave me, and my friends _alone._ " The fist-fighter marched back to the mansion, his face was red as a tomato.

"Brawler, calm down! It's not worth it!" Gunner shouted as he chased after him.

Swordfighter stood idly, feeling very awkward in the spotlight before giving off a half-hearted "Bye" and sprinted off. Everyone on the field stopped in their tracks, feeling very confused to what transpired. Villager spoke first. "Do you think Brawler needs a hug? Because it looks like he needs a hug."

" _I'm going to check up on them."_

"You sure that's a good idea Mewtwo?" Marth questioned. "They acted oddly I give you that, but you know there's an unspoken rule of invading other's personal space."

" _I have a feeling there's something more to this than what meets the eye. I'll gladly risk being reprimanded if I have to. Sorry, but I have to go."_ Mewtwo was going to the mansion patio whenhis eyes flash blue for several moments. He froze in place as this happened.

"What's wrong?" Meta-Knight said.

" _Lucario contacted me, they want you in the command center."_ The Pokémon directed at the knight.

"I'll be there later, I still have work-"

" _They want now Meta-Knight, it's for a mission."_

The masked Veteran stood silent before turning to Marth. "Looks like I have no choice."

"But guys! I can't train all the Newcomers on my own! What am I supposed to do!?" The blue-haired swordsman replied.

"I'm sorry, but we both have our own tasks to do." Meta-Knight answered. "But I know you can make it work. If you were able reclaim your homeland with nothing but you're wits. Then you have nothing to worry about. Mewtwo and I will make it up to you next training session. I assure you"

Marth sighed. "Fine, go on."

"Thank you for understanding. Farewell King Marth! Let the faiths be with you!" He shouted as he and the psychic went indoors.

The Hero-King turned to see all of the Newcomers standing around him in a half-circle, wondering what's next.

' _I don't know what it is, but I got a bad feeling about this.'_ Thought Marth.

* * *

 **Solve all three questions, and you'll gain all the pieces of the puzzle, the key of finding out who I really am.**

 **Question 3: A ninja's false scarf:_**

"Is this computer playing us?! That's not even a question!" Samus scoffed as she finished typing into the computer.

"I'm more confused about what it said." Fox butted in. "Is the message conveying that the scarf is fake or something?"

R.O.B. rolled his electronic eyes. "[No use pondering on what it could mean now. Let's save that bit after the mission.]"

" _Out of all the Newcomers, this seems to be the most random."_ Lucario was sitting Indian style on a rug, mediating nicely as he munched from a plate of assorted chocolates to the side. _"Not that I'm complaining."_

"Most random? If any, I'm surprised we haven't gotten a ninja during the entire time that our organization existed." Snake said.

" _Why is that?"_

"Ninjas are very common in the Omniverse. I guess they're _popular._ " The solider used air quotes on the word "popular."

" _No Snake, the majority of the universe was occupied by angry soldier dudes wielding guns."_

"[Sorry, Lucario. But I have to take Mr. Angry solider dude on this one.]" R.O.B. replied to the jackal; ignoring Snake's groaning.

" _Nah, I'm pretty sure people with guns are the majority."_

"[Maybe in the universes that are shooter-based, but you're missing out. There's an entire section of the Omniverse dedicated to ninja, and it's growing pretty fast. I bet it'll rival the soldiers one day]."

Lucario cracked an eye. _"Name some."_

"[Calculating.]" The robot spoke in a monotone voice, followed by a faint whirling of the motherboards stored in his brain. "[Sub-Zero and Scorpion from Mortal Komat universe, Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden universe, Raiden and Grey Fox from Metal Gear universe, Sheik from Legend of Zelda-]"

" _Okay, okay."_ Lucario rose from the floor. _"You made your point. Ninjas are a thing."_

Snake smirked. "Hey, could be stranger. We could have gotten a pirate."

The noise of the door opening got everyone's attention, they turned to see Meta-Knight arriving just on time. "You require my services?"

"We do." Samus said. "Something came up, all of us agreed that it'll be best if you were a part of this… uh, thing."

"What thing exactly?" The knight questioned.

The bounty hunter nodded to R.O.B., who typed keys onto a computer. "[It's that time of the week again, another Newcomer has been spotted.]"

"Where."

"[Right here.]" A map appeared. There was so much green on the screen Meta-Knight thought it was a close-up of the Mansion's lawn.

The knight walked up close to the monitor. "A forest? Strange, I don't recall this place at all."

"That's because it's uncharted territory." Snake explained. "Turns out there are still places out there unturned by the likes of us."

The masked Smasher tapped his chin as he absorbed this new information. "Very intriguing, but I still don't understand why you need my help. Do you want me to be on the mission?"

" _Yes, but not in the direct sense."_ The jackal replied. _"We need an eye in the sky."_

"Eye in the sky?"

"[He's talking about the ship you own, the Halberd.]" R.O.B. lectured. "[The ship we use currently won't be able to get pass all those trees.]"

"You sure using my ship is necessary. Can't you fly over the trees? Or use another ship for this mission instead?" Meta-Knight asked.

He shook his head. "[I thought about that, but it'll only cause more problems for us. If we just fly over the forest it'll make searching incredibly difficult.]" The robot finished typing and turn to face the round creature. "[And using the other ships won't do; they are either too fast for this environment or don't have the capacity to hover in the air for long periods of time.]"

"There's a second reason why we believe the Halberd would be a great help, too." Fox butted in. "Your ship not only has the equipment necessary for reconnaissance, it's brimmed to be the teeth with defenses and armament. I know you think bringing a power-house to a small isolated area is unnecessary, but we can't risk it, not at this stage of the game. Otherwise we might put the surrounding area or ourselves in jeopardy. Like that incident involving the bomb in Toxic Falls."

The Halberd was his most prized possession, he wouldn't let anyone else use it without his explicit permission. But he couldn't help but think that they might be right on this one. Things are indeed getting more desperate. He remembered what happened in the casino, how powerful that skeleton was. What if some monster like that was lurking within the trunks, he would never forgive himself if he lost friends do to his attachments. But yet again, it could always just be nothing.

" _Please, Meta-Knight. We need this. For the Newcomer and the mansion as a whole."_ Lucario said.

Meta-Knight closed his eyes and breathed the precious oxygen in the room. He really hated the idea, but he hated uncertainty more. "Ok, I'm convince. I will allow you permission to use my ship. I only ask that you all don't do anything drastic to my property."

" _Thank you so much, friend. I promise we'll behave."_ The Pokémon laughed. _"Again, we only need the ship to fly us and keeping an eye on the scene, nothing less. Hopefully that will be the extent we ask you for."_

"Ha."

" _What's funny?"_

"I guess Brawler is right, you do have a habit of jinxing yourself." The masked Smasher noted.

Now another party came into the picture. A sense of confidence mixed with tiredness and a pinch of arrogance poured in the room. "Mewtwo, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be outside with Marth?" Samus questioned the floating Pokémon who had just went through the wooden frame in the wall.

" _I didn't mean to bail, but I had an important matter to attend to. May I ask, where is Brawler and his friends?"_

"I don't know, why?"

He ignored the question. _"Well, if there not here then that means there's only one last place that they could be. Their room"_

Meta-Knight shook his head disapprovingly, he was respecting the guy's choice to investigate but he thinks it's too much. But, that wasn't any of his business.

Lucario walked a couple of steps forward. _"What do you want with those three?"_

" _I want to have a little chat with them, it's important."_ Mewtwo said. _"Do you know where their room is per chance?"_

The jackal rose an eyebrow, he was unsure what the psychic wanted with the trio, but he decided to give him what he wants. _"There situated in the room where we interrogated them at first. I'm going to ask you one more question, why are you persistent in finding them if it's just a little chat?"_

" _Suspicions have to proven."_ Mewtwo levitated into the hallway and focused his telekinetic energy on the door. _"I'll explain later. After which, I have a feeling that all of us will have a little chat together."_ The trophies in the center eyed him with confound curiosity as he closed the entrance shut. When he was sure he was alone, he teleported elsewhere/ But not before saying-

" _With the possibility of a verbal ass-whooping."_


	54. Chapter 54: Busted

**Chapter 54: Busted**

He always knew the guy had a grudge against the Super Smash Brothers. No one could ever figure it out why, even Lucario had a tough time deciphering the hothead. He was always angry, so spiteful, it would Bowser to shame.

Mewtwo was teleporting around the mansion, going from room to hallway until he caught sight of the trio. The three of them were carrying garbage bags; couldn't tell what the contents were but he knew it was connected to what they're doing. The Pokémon hid in shadows, following the group until they reached their quarters. Thoughts bounced and shifted through his skull; trying to form a coherent sentence.

Brawler could be conspiring against the organization, which would explain why he stays isolated from the rest of the trophies, but if that was the case, how did he convince Swordfighter and Gunner to join him. Those two are loyal to the mansion, they wouldn't rebel over petty revenge.

Gunner put her hand into her trash bag, shuffling the items inside. Mewtwo squinted to see her pull out several rolls of bread. She gave Swordfighter one, who took it in good spirit. Both Miis bit into their food and share a laugh.

The psychic relaxed. Maybe he had been taking things too far. A lot of friendships had been formed in this place over time. This could just be one of them. Those Newcomers were three peas in a pod when they found them. It's not too late, he could just leave before they notice.

Sword tossed a roll to Brawler to which he caught it with his fingers. He flex his enhanced muscles in a show of strength before chowing down.

' _No, as insignificant as this seems, I need to investigate. This stinks of something… abnormal.'_ The psychic got closer, he continued to follow until his targets stopped at one of the rooms. Brawler used his free hand to open the door, letting his friend in. Then he scanned the area for any of the fighter, when he found none, he went inside and closed the door. Mewtwo leaned against the door, putting his ear against the wood.

"We got everything?"

"Let see here… yep! Water, snacks, more video games, and a book by Gunner's request. Why the hell did you bring a book again?"

"Well… I uh… felt like bringing one of my favorite stories from the library would help calm my nervous whiles we do this."

"Gunner, you're going to busy with the game. Unless you're planning to multitask, it's not going to happen."

"Brawler, if Gunner wants to bring her things than let her. We didn't complain when you kept feeding you all those beer cans."

"That was a quick snack, this is something that requires more concentration! I-forget it. Are you ready to touch the crystal?"

" _Crystal?"_ Mewtwo pondered.

"I guess, I can see the sphere is red but… I'm still nervous. You don't think it can explode right?"

"Gunner, when Brawler and I touched the thing nothing happened. Sure there was the challenge of course, but we all gained something of worth. Maybe you can get something too if you play the game as well. I know how much you want to gain control of the gadget you have on your arm. I remember how much trouble we had just to find a way to detach it. Much less putting it on."

"Yeah… this thing is tricky."

"But if you don't want to go along we can-"

"No, no. I'm good. I just need to get the butterflies out of my system. *sigh*."

"Ok. Brawler can you get the crystal from the chest?"

The sounds of hinges creaking could be heard, very faint, but noticeable. "Just tap when you're ready. I can wait."

Are they performing a ritual? If it's true then it's the strangest one he ever heard. As tempting as it is, he shouldn't intervene right now. He needs to listen a little more-

"AAH!"

Screw it. He's going in.

Mewtwo teleported inside the room. He was stunned to what he saw: deflated balloons on the ceiling, wrecks of rollercoaster cars burning in the corner, and black hand prints bleeding on the walls. A loud chuckle came behind the psychic, he turned around to see hideous monsters-clowns with deformed faces and disproportionate limbs and body parts. They made a faint effort to grab the Pokémon, but he backed away.

He continue to float in the opposite direction when somebody said: "HEY! What are you doing here!?"

Mewtwo turned to see the trio, shocked just as he was. In Gunner's hands, a ball of glowing energy radiated in her palms before fading away. All that remained was an ugly sphere of red, blue, and white.

* * *

They started the conservation by screaming.

Brawler created a metal ball in his hands instantly, and Mewtwo eyes lit of with psychic energy. Sword went between the two in an effort to calm tensions around. Gunner was frozen in place, full of fear. Gunner stood still away from the conflict, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, everyone settled down to talk soon enough. It took a lot of time, but they manage to explain the whole situation they were currently in, and the context of the past few weeks.

Sadly, Mewtwo did not take it well.

The glow faded from his sockets, but the aura of anger remained. _"Am I hearing this correctly? Each of you found these gems and you combined it to this?"_ He pointed to the artifact that the girl was holding. _"And you played around with that anomaly like its some trinket from the toy store? Are you mad?!"_

Gunner and Sword flinched back, the psychic was intimating to them. Even when he was friendly he stilled carried the impression that he was going to beat the life out of your body if you so much as crossed him. Brawler had a different reaction. Instead of being afraid, he very annoyed. "You got it wrong! We didn't know what it was or what it can do at first. It just happened somehow!"

" _Then how did it happen?!"_ Mewtwo demanded.

"When Sword found it in the chest."

The pale Pokémon eyed him now, puffing out smoke from his nostrils. _"Is this true, Swordfighter?"_

Swordfighter jaw slacked for a moment until he regain his composure. "Yes. Several weeks ago, we saw that very same crystal in our chest." He said. With Gunner's permission she let him take the sphere from her possession. "I saw it glowing when the others saw nothing. I touched it, and it trapped us in our room. I was forced to play a game to earn our individual freedoms." The blonde showed Mewtwo the item. "We weren't in any danger, just temporarily stuck."

Mewtwo used his telekinesis to grasp the object and lift it in the air with his mind. Observing the fine details, then resuming his tirade. _"Then why did you continued to experiment with this crystal once you were aware of its properties? Why didn't you tell anyone about this?!"_

Gunner muttered something, but it was barely audible.

" _Can you repeat that?"_

"Because we were afraid the mansion would overact." She said, not meeting the eyes of the Pokémon.

" _Overreact?"_

"We saw how everyone acted after Gunner's "death"." Brawler chimed in. "This place was essentially turned into a prison after that, to make matters worse, you treated us like kids. We are adults dammit! There was no need to go that far."

"Actually Brawler, some of the Newcomers are kids. There's Villager, Mega Man and Rosalina's-"

"Not helping, Gunner." Brawler seethed.

Mewtwo levitated down to the floor, setting the artifact on a dresser. _"There's something you're not telling me, that can't be the only reason why. You might as well spill it out now, I_ _ **really**_ _don't want to use any invasive measures."_ He tapped to the temple of his head with control, but the patience was waning.

"I would, but I don't think you'll believe us." Brawler said.

" _Try."_

The fist-fighter got off the bed, sighing. "When one of us wins a game, we gain something in return."

The Veteran was utterly confused. _"A game?"_

"Video games to be exact." Brawler added. "A controller appears in the room and the one who touched it has to play something on a screen. Sword did 2D scroller whiles I was stuck with some fighting game. No blood, no torture, just a lot of time wasted and a handful of carpal tunnel syndrome."

The psychic rolled his eyes.

"I know how it sounds, but it's the truth."

" _Oh, I'm not doubting you there."_ Mewtwo spoke truthfully, he didn't sense any lies. Therefore there was no need for further action. _"I'm trying to wrap my head around on how ridiculous this is. You said you gained something besides your freedom?"_

Sword nodded. "You are changed physically when a game is completed. I gained the knowledge of how to properly use my sword from the memories of past blade wielders."

"Same thing happened to me, except it was people who know how to punch. Gunner has yet to go through the process, so she still the same." Brawler added.

" _And what would happened after all of you had a chance with the crystal?"_

"We bring it to R.O.B. so he can do the research." The fist-fighter Mii gestured to the floating sphere in the air as he talked. "We took precautions, and made sure nothing bad would occur-"

" _That's not the point!"_ Mewtwo snatched the crystal, gripping it tightly in his left paw. _"You interacting with some strange object behind our backs. You could hurt yourselves. You are all lucky we are so forgiving, most people would have kicked you out of this place for doing something stupid like this! You people have some nerve."_

Gunner was trembling, she collapsed to her knees gripping her head in nervous panic. She couldn't handle all the stress and let out a pained shout "WE THOUGHT WE HAD TO DO IT. ALL OF US WERE CALLED TO IT!" The girl reached her limit, she started to hyperventilate-gripping her chest with anxiety.

"Gunner! Breath…" Sword crouched by her, rubbing her back in an effort to calm her down.

Brawler turned livid, he turned to Mewtwo with a glare. "See what you did asshole! You making her freak out. Happy now dick-less?!" He stepped forward to the psychic in a threatening manner, but the sounds of Gunner panting snapped him out of him. He reluctantly shook off the feeling and went over to where his friends were, conversing with Sword on ways to prevent their friend from incapacitating herself.

Mewtwo stopped his telepathic tirade, the sight of the crying girl bringing memories of empathy and innocence to him. He saw an empty paper bag peeking out from one of the sacks, he picked it up and approached the trio. Brawler curled his hand into a fist when he saw the psychic come into view. He was about to jerk his fist into his eyes when he saw him hand the bag to him. The fist-fighter begrudgingly took it and gave the item to Gunner-who was now using it to regulate her breathing.

"Take long breaths; in and out." Sword comforted the girl by rubbing some more. It appeared to slow her condition, but she was still stressed.

" _What does she mean by it calling to you?"_ The Veteran asked softly but sternly. The Miis remained oddly silent. _"I won't toss your claims aside like the rambling of a lunatic. I believed it once, and I'll believe it again. Tell me."_

Sword met Mewtwo's eyes, he swallowed his spit on reflex. Looks like they had to break their promise. "Soon after Brawler, Gunner, and I started to… experiment with the crystal. I've been getting visions of the beach. It was the same one. I thought nothing of it until it kept going. There was a lone island resting on a blanket of water, it felt so familiar."

Mewtwo used telekinesis to summon the orange and blue sphere to his paw. _"How does the crystal giving you visions of the ocean tie-in to all this."_

"Because it's personal, to me." The blade-wielder stood to his feet. "At first, I perceived the vision as a fever dream, but then I realized it was not the case. That was no dream. It was a memory."

Mewtwo eyes opened wide, that's right he had amnesia. _"You regained your memories?"_

"Not even close. I'm still missing the entire film; I only got a clip in return. But from the same clip I learned a lot: I think I was a resident of that island." Sword scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "And that I may have also had a girlfriend too."

"He's not the only one." Brawler announced. "Me and Gunner also had these "visions". In mine, I was a boxer, like Little Mac but more experienced. I already knew I was a boxer in a past life, didn't think it was important until I saw myself playing tennis, baseball, dancing… you name it. From what I gathered. The other "me" is a world-class athlete. I don't know what Gunner experienced."

The shooter slowly removed the bad from her mouth, setting it aside now that she was ok. "Since I touched the sphere just now my "visions" haven't been too intense. But I think I worked on Amusement Park."

Mewtwo was going to speak but he got interrupted by Sword. "Wait, there's more! I also believe the game scenarios were directly related to our pasts. I played a diver in my game, I had to swim to the bottom, fighting monsters to find buried treasure. Brawler played a gladiator in several fighting tournaments."

" _Water and fighting; those correspond with the visions."_

"That's when we knew that this entire thing wasn't an accident, there were too many coincidences." Said Brawler. "We have been given the artifact for a reason. Don't you see? Things are getting more stranger for us to handle; too many issues for us to deal with. Eventually, we're going to be out on our luck. The crystal could be the key to solve all of this. Why can't you understand that?"

The psychic remained inert, not moving a single muscle.

"Mewtwo?"

" _We are going to see R.O.B. now."_

"Hold on-"

" _We are going, now!"_ Mewtwo eyes glowed blue in an instant, he snapped his fingers and all four of them disappeared from the room.

Only to reappear a second later in the exact place.

Mewtwo looked around in utter confusion. _"I did that right! Why are we still here?"_ He teleported again, same thing happened.

The fist-fighter announced to the Pokémon "Hold you horses, you impatient smuck! You're not going to get us out that way."

Sword usual would tell Brawler to turn down the vitriol in his voice, but he gave up on that long ago. "Mewtwo, I appreciate your attempts to get us out of here, but it won't work. As stated earlier, we can only escape when a game is done. There's no other way."

" _Impossible."_ The Pokemon said. _"This is an ordinary bedroom, not a magic cell!"_

Sword shook his head. "It is now thanks to the crystal. Once we tried leaving by busting a hole through the bathroom wall, it didn't make even a dent. Opening the door won't do much either, some freakish monster is always blocking the entrance."

Mewtwo turned back to the clowns, he raised a paw to the humanoids when a loud "No" go his attention.

"Don't do that! It'll only make them mad." Gunner spoke.

Mewtwo ignored her advice and launched a ball of psychic energy at one of the figures, to his surprise, it went straight through its body. The clown laugh and manifested a rather large pan of cream pie in its right hand. The thing honk his red nose before chucking it at the Pokémon. He ducked his head in a flash; the pie that narrowly his head. When the crust made contact with a wall, a large splash of acid was spread over the paint. Thankfully, since the structure of the room was currently durable, there was no permanent damage.

The psychic then pressed his finger against his temple, trying to control the entities minds. "They're holograms." Brawler commented. "Your "supreme psychic powers" are useless here."

"Shut up man, you're going to piss him off!" Sword hissed.

Mewtwo stared at the clowns and focused his energy. Nothing absolutely nothing. Whatever these things were, they're not sapient.

He let his arms fall, dangling by his side as he formulated a plan. _"How much do you trust the artifact?"_

"Well I wouldn't say trust, but I would-"

" _ **How much to you trust the artifact?**_ _"_ Mewtwo pressed harshly, cutting off the blade-wielder.

"Enough to go along with the game."

" _Then it's settled."_ Mewtwo accepted his situation, a tinge of bitterness was easily felt. _"Gunner will play her game, and then we'll be free. Keep in mind, there will be consequences when this twisted stunt is over."_

"Yeah… noted." Brawler seethed. "Does anyone see the controller?"

"Uh…" Gunner droned on until her foot bumped into something. She looked down to see small device with red and white stripes, multicolored buttons, and sugar plastered on the joysticks. "I think I found it."

"Then press start."

The shooter shivered slightly as she crept her finger to the button, after another prompt from the fist-fighter, she pushed against it.

A holographic screen manifested in front of the four Smashers. There was no title card on the screen, just plain red text among a void of blackness:

 **ENJOY THE SHOW**

Gunner sat on the floor, gulping her saliva. "For some reason, I doubt I will." Her friends grabbed the bags to her sitting area, emptying the food, snacks, and what-no out of plastic sacks as Mewtwo watched from behind.

It started with a cut-scene of a girl traveling down a pier, leading to the entrance of a dilapidated amusement park. She was reading a note in her hand; the ink was bright purple. Despite how dark it was, the lettering was visible.

 **Congratulations! For getting first place in our sweepstakes, you won you're very own amusement park! Ain't that swell? The key will be by the gate, don't be late!**

The girl pocketed the letter in her breast pocket, approaching the rusted gate.

" _The premise is similar to Luigi's experience."_ Mewtwo said.

"You mean the time he took the job of a ghost hunter?" Sword played a bit of _Luigi's Mansion_ , so he knew what he was referring to. "Still can't believe that's a thing."

"I can't believe he had the balls to go through with it, with him being scared of everything." The psychic stared daggers at the fist-fighter. "I'm not demeaning him, I'm being objective over here. In fact, I respect him for going through with that. There are not many brave cowards in the world after all."

Gunner felt uncomfortable as she held the controller. "The setting is an amusement park? It already knows, but how?"

" _It's possible that the crystal is telepathic to some degree."_ Mewtwo responded. _"It would be a logical explanation to why everyone's "game" is symbolic to the player."_

The girl tried to open the gates but it wouldn't budge. Text appeared on the bottom of the screen.

 **The door is locked shut.**

"It won't open." Sighed Gunner, her mood was coming out of guilty pleasure. The Mii knew she had to continue but felt satisfied that was no rush to her predicament. Upon pressing the action button again, a different set of text appeared.

 **On closer inspection, the door is locked by a rather large padlock; rusted in the same condition as the gate. It needs to be removed if I want to get pass.**

Brawler snapped his finger. "That letter said something about a key, do you happen to have it on your character, Gunner?"

"I don't think I have it." The female Mii said. "The note mentioned the key was by the gate, so we should be looking nearby."

"Guys, what's that?" Sword pointed to a small sparkle on the dock; it was hard to see since the light blended with the wood, but now everyone was aware.

"I'm guessing it's the key." Brawler replied.

"It could be coin."

"Yeah… fat chance. Gunner, try picking it up."

"Oh… right." The shooter nodded and moved her character towards the repeating flashing. The girl crouched down and raised her hand near the unidentified sparkle. A small image of a sliver key lying on planks of wood appeared by the character.

 **I found a sliver key.**

 **Pick it up?**

 **Yes No**

"And once again, I have been proven right." Brawler directed in a sly tone to Sword.

"You shouldn't be smug, Brawler. It only makes your punch-able face even more punch-able." Sword gritted his teeth in annoyance.

" _Yeah, I second that."_ Mewtwo said.

The girl inserted the sparkle into her pocket.

 **You picked up the key!**

 **To access items in your inventory, press the options button.**

When Gunner's character affixed to a standing position, a loud roar was heard. It sounded whoever made the roar was gargling water. Incidentally, groups of bubbles were rising from the background of the ocean before stopping normally.

"What was that?!" Gunner was panicking internally now, she was never able to digest horror of any kind- fictional or real.

" _I don't know, but whatever it was, it was close."_ Mewtwo said.

"Ohhh, I can't stay here. I got to go!" Gunner immediately tilted her control stick to the right, making the girl move to the gate. She commander her to use the key, but to no avail.

 **I put the key into the key hole, it won't fit.**

"Not now!" She pressed again.

 **I again put the key into the key hole, it won't fit.**

"Girl! Calm down, there is no monster out to get you." Brawler gestured to the scenery; dark but lifeless. "Panicking won't serve you anything."

"Sorry." The girl walked backwards from the gate at the Mii's discretion.

"Look." Brawler kneeled to Gunner's level. "I think it's best if you give me the controller. You can go rest whiles I'll complete the game for you."

"I don't think you're supposed to do that." Sword said.

" _This is Gunner's game, Brawler."_ Reminded Mewtwo.

The fist-fighter rolled his eyes. "Maybe so, but last time I checked, there is no rule against exchanging games. Besides, I love horror. May I see it?"

Gunner wasted no time in handing the device over, but when Brawler made skin contact with the controller, the screen froze and a text box covered the majority of the screen.

 **Incorrect user.**

"What?"

"Told you." The blonde tapped his thigh in absolute annoyance.

Brawler returned the controller to Gunner, and the screen went to normal. He picked up the device again and the text box returned. "Hmm, looks like this you're time to shine after all, Gunner." He replaced the controller back into the now sadden shooter's hands.

"If the key is too big, then how am I going to open the lock?" Gunner asked.

" _It wouldn't be logical to put a useless key near the door, perhaps we missed an important item back on the pier?"_ Mewtwo suggested.

"Well, no harm in trying. Give me a moment." The girl turned to the other side of the pier and walked. This took over a minute or two. She stopped when a metallic green box came into view.

"Is that a lunch box?" Brawler asked.

Sword shook his head. "No, it's tackle box. Fishermen use these to store bait and hooks while they fish."

The character walked to the box and crouched to a comfortable level. An image of the box in question came into view, it was locked by a brand new padlock.

 **There is something heavy inside, but the lock is getting in the way.**

"Hey, the lock is bigger than the other one!" Gunner observed.

"What are we waiting for, let's pop open the lid." Smiled Sword.

The shooter manifested her inventory and pressed on the "key" icon. An unlocking sound was heard as the mechanical mechanism vanished; the lid was all the way up.

 **There is a hammer inside the box**

 **Pick it up?**

 **Yes No**

"A hammer? How would that help us?" Sword questioned.

"We could use it to break the lock." Gunner lightly pressed the "yes" command. Anxiously waiting for the prospect of gaining access to the park. The ocean is starting to freak her out.

 **You picked up the hammer!**

When the girl added the hammer to her inventory, another roar was heard, made from the same creature as before. The platform shook violently, the woman couldn't hold her ground and fell onto her back. A mass of black flesh rose from the ocean and slammed into a section of the pier, destroying the wood and cutting off access to the outside world.

"Ah! What was that?" Gunner said.

Something began to rise from the water; the head of a giant eel. The monster's teeth were sharp and its eyes glowed white. Another roar was made as the eel began to slowly creep near the girl.

" _You're in no fit to battle, get out of there!"_ Mewtwo demanded.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO?!"

The girl scurried on her knees at first, then sprinted as fast as she could. The eel growled and followed her; eating the pier as it chased. Sadly, in Gunner's haste, she accidentally dropped the controller out of pure clumsiness, making the character stand still. "Oh no!" The female Smasher tried picking up the device but she couldn't find it.

The monster was almost close, and was opening its jaws wide. Sword saw that the controller was hidden behind Gunner's feet, he grabbed it and handed it to his friend. "HERE!"

She snatched it and quickly tapped on the action button. The girl did a roll just before the eel bite the section of wood she was standing on. However, the character had poor balance and ended up falling off, luckily she happened to grab onto the edge. Now she was hanging on for dear life.

"No, I refuse to die!" Gunner blurted. She ravaged the buttons and joy stick to command the girl to get back onto the pier. There was no time for breaths, the eel's head had now risen up from the water again. The adolescent backed away before running over to the gate.

"Come on, where's that stupid tool… oh found it!" Gunner muttered to herself. She clicked the hammer and the girl did an animation of the swinging the hammer backwards, slamming it against the lock. The lock was finally broken.

"See, I told you it was the hammer!" Gunner spoke to Sword with a nervous smile.

"We can celebrate once you're inside; throwing a party right now is really not the best option." Brawler gestured to the eel, munching its way to the entrance.

"Oh shoot, I got to find some cover!" Gunner realized. The character ran past the entrance of the abandoned park, stepping over the rust pieces as if she finally took the first step in a new perspective.


	55. Chapter 55: Gently Down The Stream

**Back With Another Chapter, and I got another review.**

 **NExuS Zero: I know how the Newcomers are coming in slow but I promise, after this Act. I'll bump it up to two Newcomers per Newcoming. Things will speed up eventually. And don't worry about be running out of ideas. I have this whole story planned out. I appreciate the concern though.**

* * *

 **Chapter 55: Gently Down the Stream**

After convincing Meta-Knight, A seven-man team was quickly gathered and sent to the forest. Lucario and Snake were there by default, and Meta-Knight was required for this particular mission, but since they were going into uncharted territory, they had to hand-pick certain members beforehand.

Toon Link was chosen to assist the crew in guiding and steering the ship due to his experiences with boats; Ike was more than viable in participating, his strength alone could defeat most creatures in a single blow; Pokémon Trainer volunteer, believing his Pokémon would be very useful in the retrieval of the Newcomer; and Mr. Game and Watch was the last pick mainly for the various tool he carries on hand… and that he can cook up some snacks whiles they drift along.

The Halberd was floating high above the endless trees, standing still near the clouds until further instructions. The team was gathering around one of the edges of the ship, doing their part of securing their motorboat with heavy duty chain.

"So, what do you think the forest is going to be like?" Ike asked the Pokémon Trainer

"Based on the view from here; its looks beautiful. Considering my profession of traveling through Mother Nature, that's saying something."

"I was talking about how difficult the mission will be."

"Oh." The adolescent replied. "I think despite the dangers of it being unknown, and the possibility of us drowning, I'm confident. Call me superstitious but I got a good feeling of this mission. Besides, our unique set of skills will definitely even things out."

"I see."

"Heck, if there's any dangerous monsters down there my team can take care of it. Personally, I hope we see more Pokémon down there. I haven't used my spare Pokéballs in a while but they're more than less able to do the job. Just wished I brought the Ultra Ball."

" _Ahem!"_ A clearing of the throat got his attention; he raised his chin to see Lucario eyeing him with a deadpanned expression.

"Oh! Sorry about that Lucario. I keep forgetting that you dislike the whole "capturing" thing. I'll be mindful next time."

The jackal was about to speak, but instead shook his head. _"No, no, it's fine. I need to stop taking things too seriously. This is the new world, not a rehash of the old one. Perhaps it's about time I take the stick out of my rump and enjoy the moment. Hell, maybe I'll treat it as a toy and swing it to my heart's content. That'll be charming."_

"Yes, that sounds very charming Lucario." Snake shook his head; he really needed to work on his idioms.

Meta-Knight approached them on the deck, the sun reflected off of his mask as if his very soul was beaming out of his eyes. "We are above the drop point, is it set up?"

Ike tied the last knots, and picked up the boat with the help of Snake. They carefully placed their seafaring vehicle on the side on the ship, which dangled in place with the help of the rope. "Now we are. Any melodramatic farewells before we surf the stream?" Said the mercenary.

"Ah, becoming more humorous are we? I set the Halberd on autopilot and the weapons have been preemptively charged as a precaution, just in case we run into more problems."

"What kind of problems require cannonballs and energy beams?" Questioned PT.

"The ones that are over 50 feet tall and eat children for breakfast. Like I said just a precaution."

"Well try not use your "precaution" on us." Toon Link joked. The team loaded themselves in motorboat, everyone took their seat on the leather cushions whiles the Hylian sat at the steering wheel. "Bye Meta-Knight! Smell you later!" The masked Veteran saluted as he pulled the lever, soon enough the boat was being lowered downwards. Eventually the view of the ship became so small you could fit in the palm of your hand.

"So Toon, I know you used to the sea, but this beast is much different than a plain sailboat. You know how to steer?" Snake pressed as he slid the cigarette in his mouth.

"Nope!"

He nearly choked on his cigarette.

"Just kidding!" The kid replied joyfully. "I had experience with this gas guzzling demon, we'll be fine with me on the gas pedal."

"Kids these days." He lit the lighter and smoked.

Mr. Game and Watch took of the communicator and turned it on. "*Beep boop beep beep boop?*" (We're descending down, R.O.B., are you reading?)

The device crackled to life. _"[Loud and clear 2D! How far are you from the drop-off point?]"_

The trainer poked his head off to the side. "Hard to say, but I'd say about 400 feet."

" _[Alright, let me recap just in case. Meta-Knight will be supervising from the ship, he'll try to assist you in any way he can, but the environment may prove to be difficult for him to get through so don't rely on it. Now beforehand, I would give you exactly directions to where the Newcomer is, but since-]"_

" _-the trees were weakening the signal. You're going to guide us as we travel along the river. Once the device gets under the clearing, the signal will be strong and all we have to do is guide the ship while you tell us where to go."_ Lucario interrupted the robot's speech.

" _[You're catching on, Lucario; getting better memory recall?"_

" _Nah, just felt like demonstrating my executive functioning skills for a change."_ Lucario delivered a sly smile to Snake, who rolled his eyes in good spirits.

" _Let's hope your executive functioning will be fully operational during the mission. I'll reply back when I get the directions."_ The device stopped responding.

"Man, I haven't been to a remote place in years!" Toon Link announced, jumping onto his seat. "This is going to be the best adventure yet!"

"No sudden movements!" Ike warned. "You're going to shake the boat if you keep doing that."

"Sorry."

They were being lowered into a rather large opening in the trees, getting past the green barrier. This didn't stop them from getting brushed by thousands of leaves, but that was irrelevant. The inside was lit nicely despite the lack of sunlight. The boat had splashed into a river that was about 15 or 20 feet across. Walls of earth and more trees towered over them like passive giants, covered with orange butterflies. The clear blue stream ahead seemed endless.

" _[Now I have a secure connection!]"_ R.O.B. announced. _"[How are things on your end?]"_

"We're below the branches now, floating down with the waves." Ike remarked. "The leaves look different than it was from above; it's like autumn hit this place hard."

"But it's Spring." Toon said.

"I know; which make it all the more confusing. But that's not all, there are butterflies everywhere. I never have seen so many insects in one place."

" _[Irregular weather patterns and an abundant amount of a certain kind of animal… there may be an anomaly inside the area.]"_

"*Beep boop beep?*" (Should we investigate?) The 2D man asked as he started the vehicle's motor.

"That's not the objective." Snake reminded. "We can play investigators after we get what we came for? R.O.B. where do we go from here?"

" _[The signal is stronger up north. Just follow the stream and you should be there within the hour.]"_

" _That's all we need to know. Push it to the metal Toon!"_ Lucario told the Hylian. The boy nodded a pressed his foot against the gas petal. The engine roared to life and soon enough they were being propelled across the water.

" _Alright, here's my game plan."_ The jackal announced. _"We need to be on our guard at all times. Toon Link keep your eyes on the river, there might be creatures lurking beneath us so we should be looking off from the boat from time to time. In case we encounter any monsters behind the trees, Snake and I will shoot them down with… why are you guys laughing?"_ The trophies were doing their damndest to hold their snickering, some were outright grinning.

He felt something tingle on his snout, crossing his eyes he saw a orange butterfly resting on the edge of his nose.

At this point the comedy couldn't be contained. The whole boat laughed to their hearts content. (With the exception of Lucario.)

"I think will be fine for the time being, no use fretting over the unknown." Pokemon Trainer took out his Pokédex and snapped a picture of the blue canine. Turning the output screen to his eyes, he chuckled. "Aw, priceless. I got to print this out and hang it on the wall when we get back.

Lucario narrowed his eyes. _"Delete it."_

* * *

The eye of the forest was resting for the day, after accomplishing its task of putting its children to rest, it celebrated by dozing off to the rusting of the leaves. However, an unnatural presence immediately woke it up. In a flash, the eye opened to discover the source of the intrusion and was horrified to what it seen.

10 primids wielding laser swords and bazookas, accompanied by two white eldritch abominations. It almost cried in fear.

" _ **This better be the last one."**_

" _ **oH. TrUst Me, BrOtHeR. ThIs WiLl AlL Be WoRtH It. We gOt OuR LiGhT! We GoT OuR GoLd! We JuSt NeEd OuR EyE."**_

" _ **If the plan requires it, then so be it."**_ One of the white beings directed one of its appendages at a lone primid. _**"You. Cut it down."**_

The creature in grebe garb obeyed. It climbed the tree with its upper body strength. When it reached the eye, the creature hacked the stalk of the eye. Now it was crying.

" _ **LoOkS LiKe It AiN'T WoRkInG."**_

" _ **Eh. You want a job done; you've got to do it yourself. Keep watch and leave the rest to me."**_ The white devil wrapped its limbs around the eye, attempting to pull it out of its rightful place.

It was screaming now.

* * *

"You know that thing cost a lot of money." Pokémon Trainer groaned.

" _I'm terribly sorry, PT. I didn't take the rocking of the boat in account. I promise I'll pay you for what it's worth."_ Lucario pleaded.

"Well, it's not that big of an issue I suppose, I got plenty back at the mansion but still, I'm holding you up to that offer."

Ike was gazing at the water behind them. "How close is the Newcomer? We've been going for 30 minutes."

" _According to the map, you should be able to see it anytime now."_ A noble voice rang through the radio.

"Meta-Knight? How did you gain access to the line?"

" _[I added him to the communication circle, thought it was the best course of action.]"_ The robot said.

" _And I'm still keeping track of you as promised."_

"Hey! I see it!" Toon Link shouted.

"*Beep Boop?*" (See what?) Mr. Game and Watch got off from his seat and went over to the dash board.

They found the Newcomer; it was in its trophy form, sitting atop a rock that was poking out of the river. It was an anthropomorphic creature resembling a frog. Its skin was blue; there was a patch of yellow on its belly; the eyes were flat and circular; and a pink scarf was wrapped around its neck. It appeared to be crouching with one arm raised in the air.

"R.O.B., we found the Newcomer it's sitting on a rock." Snake said.

" _[Fantastic! Retrive the Newcomer and go back to the section you were dropped at for extraction.]"_

"*Beep Beep Boop Boop Beep*?" (Is that a Pokémon?) The 2D man asked his friends.

Lucario tilted his head. _"What makes you say that?"_

"*Beep boop beep beep boop boop beep. Boop beep boop beep beep bepp boop boooop beep boop beep?*" (Most of the strange creatures we get each Newcoming is usual a Pokémon. And since we get at least get one fighter from the universe every Newcoming-)

The jackal looked at the trophy again. _"I don't know, Watch. I haven't seen anything like that back in my own universe."_

"Me neither." Replied the trainer. "I would have used my Pokédex to scan it, but since I'm short of one…" He glanced at the jackal with slight annoyance.

" _I know. Sorry."_

Ike tapped his sword lightly on the ground, getting everyone's attention. "We can figure out what it is when we get back. So who's going to lift the statue to the boat?"

"I'll handle it." Pokémon Trainer took one of his Pokéballs from his belt and pressed the white button. A ray of red energy came out of the sphere materializing into grass type Pokémon, Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur!" The creature said happily, standing proud for its trainer.

"Ivysaur, use your vines on that statue and place it in the boat." PT pointed at the trophy.

"Saur!" The creature extended its plant tendrils at the frog. It was about to wrap its vines around until their vehicle started to shake.

"What?" Snake said.

" _We're moving?"_ Lucario pondered.

"It's an earthquake!" Ike warned.

Indeed it was an earthquake. The forest for unknown reasons began to move left to right. The trees shook violent, displacing the thousands of butterflies sitting on the bark. Rocks had tumbled down from the ledge and fell into the river, creating many obstacles behind and ahead. And the water became erratic over the resulting vibration, it's was so powerful they almost fell off.

In the chaos, Ivysaur, lost his grip. A lone tendril brushed against the golden base, activating the sleeping Smasher. The frog gleamed to life, confused about its surroundings. The amphibian didn't have time to think as he slipped from the rock. The creature shouted "GRE?!" as it fell in the water, drifting along the heavy current.

When the shaking stopped, Game & Watch announced. "*Beep boop beep!*" (The Newcomer's going away!)

"What?!" Snake jumped from his seat at looked outward. "Crap! Toon Link, go after the frog and for god sake don't run it over!"

"O-Okay." The boy put the boat in drive, pushing it full sped away towards the Newcomer. They weren't getting close, but they were in a relative distance to the target (Who was struggling to get its head out of the water.)

" _[Meta-Knight told me that the trees were shaking. What's going on over there?!]"_ R.O.B. asked.

Ike took the communicator. "There was an earthquake. We found the Newcomer but it's going down the river."

"And we're chasing after it!" Piped Link.

" _[Just keep your sight on the fighter, I'm going to ask the knight to see what he can do on his end. Just be cautious.]"_ The device turned off.

"Will do." Snake muttered do himself.

Suddenly, the clouds of vapors surrounded the bank of the river, condensing into a thick blanket of fog. The Newcomer was visible, but appeared as a dark shadow to the Smashers on the boat.

"An earthquake, now this? I wonder what else this forest has in store." PT said.

"*Beep boop beep boop beep boop?*" (You're not familiar with the "no jinx" rule are you?) The 2D man shook his head in disapproval.

"Guy's! Rocks approaching!" Toon Link yelled. In the distance, going past the drowning Smasher, were boulders stuck in the river. All in varying sizes. "Hold on."

The Hylian used his skills in their moment of peril; regulating his speed to avoid the rocks, dodging all but one.

The boulder the size of a tombstone bumped to the side of the motorboat, the vehicle jerked to the right alongside its occupants. There was no damage to their ride and none of the Veterans got hurt. But their gear had fallen in the river during the struggle—including their communicator.

" _NO!"_ Lucario leaned over the edge, dripping his paws in an attempt to salvage their pack.

The solider restrained him from the shoulders. "It's gone now. Don't risk yourself by falling in."

" _No! We can't afford to lose it."_

*CRACK* One of the trees from above had broken off from the base and was tipping towards the Smashers. It almost crashed into them but used his holy sword to take care of the dreadful log. He swung his blade in an upward angle and sliced the tree in two. The pieces missed the boat by grace and floated away from the area. "I think we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Now more trees were falling down. On top of preventing the hull being breach by stone, Link has to worry about not wanting to be turned into a watery pancake by the dead timber.

One tree that fell over broke apart in midair. A single log landed in the boat, the weight of it tipped the boat to the left. If they didn't do anything they'll join the frog in its drowning.

"We need to get this off now!" Warned Snake, placing his hands under the bark. "Help me lift."  
Toon Link kept his eyes on the target as Snake, Lucario, G&W, and PT combined their strength to lift the log. But their efforts were in vain, the log was too heavy for them to handle. The ship tipped even more.

"Your bodies can't bear that kind of weight, allow me to assist." With one hand, Ike wrapped around the undercarriage of the log and placed it overhead. He was about to throw it, when another rock bumped into the ship. The sudden jerk threw Ike and the log into the river, with the mercenary disappearing under the water.

"Ike, No!" Toon Link shouted.

"Is he really…" Muttered PT.

"Ivysaur." The Pokémon shouted in a somber tone.

Ike reappeared gasping for breath, he tried to swim but the current was so strong.

" _There he is!"_

"*Beep boop, beep boop beep boop!*" (Hurry, grab him before it's too late!)

The mercenary was pulled further away from the boat, he tried sticking his sword into one of the rock but he ended up destroying the boulder instead. He figured he was going to drown again but then felt something silky wrapped around his midriff. He turned his head as far as he could to see Pokémon Trainer commanding his Ivysaur, who had used it's tendrils as a sort of towing line.

"Good job, Ivysaur! Now pull him in."

Ike was drifting backwards now, he was feeling pressure against the stream but it wasn't anything he couldn't bear. He was relieved that he was going back to ship until he saw the black image of the Newcomer, that's when the priority of the mission came back to him.

"Guys, get Ivysaur to extend his tendrils further away!" Ike yelled.

Confusion sprung into the air when he made his request. "Away?! You'll drown." PT warned.

"Just a minor risk. I'm close to the Newcomer; I don't think it can last any longer. Tell you Pokémon to extend me further so I can grab it!" The mercenary pointed to the black figure in the fog. It was sinking further in.

The adolescent looked to his peers for an answer. Lucario said _"We are here to rescue, having someone to drown on our watch is plain immoral."_

"If it's for saving." Pokémon Trainer made eye contact with the grass type and gestured his arm to the silhouette. "Ivysaur. Extend Ike to the target."

"Saur!" The creature obeyed. The plant tendrils pushed the mercenary against the water. He raised his hand to ground level, all five fingers we're tingling as he attempted to grasp the frog. "Hold on, we're here to help!" Ike announced.

That was when despair struck. The boat crashed into a boulder. The vehicle overturned with dreadful wonder as it overturned on its back. Luckily, the Smasher's were thrown away from their rescue ship before they were crushed under the tremendous weight. Now all of them were at the river's mercy, unaware of what awaits ahead.

" _ARE WE EVER GOING TO GET A BREAK?!"_ Lucario shrieked on the top of his lungs. _"What the hell happened?!"_ He asked Toon Link.

"I don't know it just came out nowhere!"

"*Beep boop beep boop boop beep.*" (Without the boat we're screwed.)

"Guys, it's gone!" Ike said, silencing the voices of panic.

"What's gone?" Snake replied.

"The Newcomer, it disappeared."

"Disapp… DID HE DROWN?!"

"I didn't hear any splashing, so it's possible- WOAH!" Ike fell backwards as he sank in the fog.

"Ike? Ike? SPEAK TO ME DAMMIT!"

The heavy clouds ahead cleared slightly, a large waterfall leading down to a white abyss await the fighters (who were now aware of their situation.)

"SWIM BACK!" Snake shouted. Everyone did their best to fight against the tide; Striding, paddling, dog paddling, it wasn't enough. As if Mother Nature was punishing them, they were thrown off the river and down to oblivion. The team gave their throes to the white below.


	56. Chapter 56: Hunted By The Amused

**Chapter 56: Hunted By The Amused**

The girl ran.

She ran for as far as her legs will take her, not daring to take a glance behind her. Breathing slowed; ankles were hurting; stamina fading; these combined factors forced the character to stop in her tracks and sit on the ground.

"That was pretty chaotic for the first level." Sword admitted.

"I don't know if I would say, chaotic." Brawler said.

"She was being chased by some tentacle monster, the hell it wasn't." The blade-wielder replied before directing his attention to Gunner. "You're doing a great job, Gunner. We are one step closer to finishing this game! How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm going to puke my heart out." The shooter paused and massage her forehead with her free hand. "The first level and it's already getting intense. I made a mistake."

" _What's done is done, Gunner."_ Mewtwo spoke. _"I know you're easily frightened but you have to push forward, we can take a short break if you want-"_

"No, no, I'm fine." Gunner shook her head. "Just needed to clear my head for a sec." She pressed play and reluctantly entered her digital nightmare. "Where am I exactly?"

As if on cue, the girl on the screen got back to her feet and examine her surroundings. The light posts were scattered far from each other, she couldn't see the entire area but at least she could actually see. Around the circle of the light she was standing in were four booths, all in a different color: A ring-toss booth that was red, a shooting gallery colored yellow, a green kissing booth and yellow dunk tank.

" _Judging by the road and streetlights, I'd say you're somewhere downtown."_ Mewtwo answered.

"Downtown?" Exclaimed the Mii."I can't stay outside, I'll be a walking target!" Gunner forced the girl to run away from the spotlight, but was confused when she refused to take a step into the darkness.

 **Maybe I shouldn't leave just yet. There might be something important around here.**

"Important? Unless it's the ticket out of here I'm not interested!" Gunner tried going into the darkness and only got the same response.

"That's an invisible wall, you can't get through that. Do what the game says and you'll probably advance forward." Sword said.

" _I concur. These tents are here for a reason, Gunner."_

The shooter turned her head backwards to meet the Smasher's eyes. "If that's so, then where do I check first? There's four to choose from and I don't know if they're safe. It could be a trap."

Brawler reached in his snack bag and inserted a chip into his mouth. "Well unless you want to be bait for any potential monsters out there, I suggest you out on your best detective impression and start searching."

If Gunner had ears like a dog, she'd be folding them in from embarrassment. "Okay, I guess I'll be doing that I'll I suppose." She squinted at the screen and pointed. "The dunk tank, that's the least scary one." The shooter ordered the girl to walk over to the tank. When she came close enough, the Mii pressed the action button. An image of the booth came up.

 **It's a dunk tank, some of the pieces are missing.**

A series of text right below the picture.

 **Looks like the tank needs some repairs, try bringing back four pieces to get this dunking started.**

"Oh, I think I know why the tents are here." Sword said.

" _Because it's an excuse for the game to prologue a fetch quest."_ Mewtwo answered.

"Uh… yeah exactly."

"Hold on, something doesn't add up." Brawler raised a finger from his palm to get the attention. "Four pieces; three places to search. This whole scavenger hunt will be uneven if that's the case.

"No big deal. If we keep our eyes peeled we'll be fine." Shrugged Sword.

Gunner, knowing what to do, left the dunk tank and went to one of the other tents. "Let's do the kissing booth, that's the closest." She sighed, she really didn't want part take in this.

The booth was constructed from a dirty table, a cheap green blanket was held up by metal sticks, and a scratched glass jar half full with dollar bills. Brawler shook his head in disgust. "You know, I can't comprehend why these "kissing stands" exist. It's so pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Questioned Sword. "Why's that pathetic, it's just a hi-jinks that people do for fun."

"Hell no, that's just an excuse! The real reason is to gullible saps in false sense of security while they're being sucked dry of their cash by the operator. Insincerity at its worst."

Mewtwo leaned forward between the fighters. _"I don't want to intrude but there's possible piece hidden in the booth."_

"Really?" Gunner observed the stand one more time, and found something peculiar in the glass jar; half buried within the green pieces of paper, was a brand new baseball. "You mean the ball." She pointed "How did you come to that conclusion?"

" _Baseballs are commonly used in dunk tanks, and there's no reason for the item to be inside the container."_

"Okay, then who am I going to get it open?"

"Uh… twist the lid?" Brawler suggested.

Gunner blinked several times. "Oh… right. Ha, by bad." She commanded the girl to walk forward to grab the jar. However, the result was the character accidentally knocking it over, having it crash into several shards on the ground. "Crap, I didn't mean for that!"

' _Oh, what do you know? Not only is she clumsy in real life, she clumsy in the game too.'_ Brawler thought.

Mewtwo heard his thoughts and telepathically warned him. _"Brawler. No."_

The fist fighter turned his head to the psychic and transmitted his thoughts. _'No. And stop being nosy you prick.'_

"Hey guys, the ball's out." Gunner announced. The baseball had rolled out if the broken glass and stopped right at the girl's feet. The character picked the round object up, examining in all the details before putting it in her inventory.

 **You collected the baseball**

"Bit unorthodox, but at least we got the piece." Sword commented. "Is there anymore in the booth?"

"Um… no that's it." The female Mii answered.

"Then I guess we're onto the next booth. Take your pick again."

Gunner went to the ring toss nest. This has a proper tent this time, colored red. Under the covering were several long tables, fitted with five by five rows of metal spikes. A counter was placed in front of the booth, two unique objects were placed on top: five gold rings and a metallic hand embedded in the wood. Held within its fingers was a red and white shooting target. "I bet that's the second piece." Gunner exclaimed, happy she didn't have upturn the entire stand for the search.

The character tried to pry the fingers off of the quest item but to no success.

 **No dice, the hand's grip is too strong. I'm going to have to try something else.**

The girl turned her head to the rings.

 **Perhaps it'll release the target if I win a game?**

"At least the game is straight to the point." Brawler observed.

"We're going to play? That's great! I love ring toss." Gunner directed the girl to the rings and command her to pick them up. "This will be a breeze."

A set of directions popped up on the screen, they didn't get a chance to read them however, because the shooter pressed the action button again by accident. Causing it to vanish in an instant.

"What the hell happened to the box?" Brawler spat.

"I think I did it again." Gunner muttered.

"Did what again?" Sword inquired.

Gunner cringed. "I brushed my hand against the button, I skipped it, I'm so sorry." Her leg jittered up and down, slightly ashamed that she went ahead so abrasively.

" _No big deal Gunner, we can figure how to play without the instructions."_ Mewtwo said. When this over, he really needs to appoint her to Dr. Mario for her low-self-esteem.

"And how are we going to figure that out? Do we just press random buttons?" Brawler mocked.

" _Yes."_

"Really?" Brawler said in amusement. "Huh. For some reason that answer seems wrong to me."

" _Gunner can you please try experimenting with some of the buttons? We need to get the controls laid out."_

"Sure thing, now let me see here…" The shooter looked at the layout of the controller, wondering which the correct input is. Action Button? Nope that did nothing. The control stick? The ring is moving left and right so it's somewhat important. Pause Button? Now that's plain silly… What about the trigger?

Tapping the trigger button, a gold ring was flown into the air. It spun around like a record as it landed on a spike. Text on the upper hand screen appeared, it read:

 **Score: 100 Points**

"Oh. So that's how it works." Gunner tilted her head.

"You got the hang of it, Gunner. See you're a natural." Sword gave her words of encouragement in an attempt to lift her spirit up while Brawler rolled his eyes on cheesy the sentence was.

"Yeah… you know what, yeah!" Gunner announced with confidence. "If it only takes a couple of buttons to pull this off then I got this in the bag."

* * *

"Well… at least I got an A for effort right? Right?" She asks her stunned audience. It's true that her first ring toss was a success, the same couldn't be said with the rest of the rings. The first ring was thrown to short, the second too far, the third ring just bumped off the tent, and the last ring manage to land on its edge on the tip of the spike (At least the game was courteous enough to give her 200 points). Overall the whole session had been a complete failure.

 **300/1000 Points**

 **YOU LOST**

 **Want To Try Again?**

"I guess not." The female Newcomer groaned. Mewtwo teleported beside her and tapped on her shoulder.

" _I understand why you lost now."_ The psychic said. _"Look at the bottom corner to your right."_ Gunner was confused on what he meant until she saw it for herself.

There was an icon of thin rectangle in the bottom-right of the screen; placed in the vertical position. The rectangle was mostly red but the middle portion was colored green. There was also a white arrow facing horizontally, pointing at the lowest point of the shape.

" _Now look at the spikes."_ Numbers were drawn at the base of each spike with crude crayon. The number gets multiplied by each row of spikes going forward, starting with 100 at the front and 500 at the back.

" _I've seen something similar in a video game before. That meter there will calculate how much strength you're putting into your throw. Make sure the arrow is in the green zone, otherwise you'll most likely fail the toss."_

"I think get it now." Gunner admitted. "Not all the spikes are equal, I have to aim for the big ones."

" _Yes, but don't force yourself to pull the trigger if you don't think you can land it. Take your time."_

"I will. Thanks for the advice Mewtwo, that'll surely help."

Sword interrupted. "You played video games before?"

" _Yes, I did. I'm not a robot. I have desires and hobbies like everyone else believe it or not."_ The psychic retorted.

Brawler almost sprung from his sitting position. "No way! What games did you play?"

" _If you're asking about the game I'm referring to, then it's Wii Sports Resort. Some of the mini-games had a meter so that's how I knew what to do."_

"And what about the other games you played? Have you even played anything else besides that diluted vacation simulator?"

" _You'll never know."_

The fist fighter huffed. _"Of course, what else did I expected from you?"_

"I'm going to start the game now. Wish me luck." The shooter announced, with her new founded knowledge, she tapped the action button once more. The game started again, the rings had been restocked in their shining glory. Wrapping the golden edges within her fingers, she went to work.

Composing herself, she carefully measured the amount of power in the meter and adjusted the control stick accordingly. The Three Smashers remained silent in anticipating as the girl with the blaster did her work.

In the end, she landed two rings in the third row, hooked the third on one of the furthest pikes, and got a single 100 up front. Sadly she missed a shot but considering her last attempt this was the bomb.

 **1200/1000**

 **YOU WIN!**

"I did it, I actually did it!" Gunner almost let the controller slip through her hands as she threw both arms in the air, but she didn't care. She won.

Sword clapped full-heartily. "See? I told you can do it. Just needed a little push."

*Clank*

A faint sound resembling wood banging against wood was heard, the character turned to the left to see that the metal hand was fully opened; the target was resting flat on the counter.

"That's piece number two." The swordsman replied with enthusiasm.

Gunner was about to command the girl to pick it up, but then saw two small red circle glowing in the distance. Before she could react, the black-haired Mii spoke. ""What are you waiting for Gunner? We need that piece.

"What- I… huh?" She turned back to see nothing was there. The shooter rubber her eyes to confirm that there her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "Sorry about that, just spaced out for a moment." Best not to think about it.

The girl finally collected the target.

 **You collected the target**

"One more booth to go, I pray this one is not as difficult as the ring toss." Gunner said to herself.

' _Man, jinxing is a serious pandemic here isn't it.'_ Brawler thought to himself.

The shooting gallery had an old western setting. Pictures of sliver stars and cacti had been plastered on the external parts of the booth, the actual range itself was decorated as a desert; cow skulls, more cacti, rocks and tumbleweeds were placed as intricate set pieces. Behind these set pieces were targets attached to metal sticks, which were much larger than the one she owns. A gun representing an old styled rifle laid on the counter, chained around the stock so it couldn't be stolen.

There was also an animatronic standing next to the gallery, dressed as a cowboy with a white hat and a black vest. It automatically went to life as the girl got closer to the stand. Then it spoke. "Howdy there, deputies in training! Want to prove you're the best shooter in the entire Wild West? Then give my old repeater a try, and you can prove that you're the best cowboy/cowgirl that ever lived!"

Gunner shuddered. "That is so creepy." Why would any park make something like this?

"Yeah, I never really was a fan for one of those things." Sword admitted. "So is the gun already operational or do we have to fix it?"

"Let me see." The girl picked up the rifle in both hands, caressing it carefully.

 **Hey this gun seems to be functional! I can't take it with me but at least it works.**

A song between a mix of banjo and piano played over the gallery's speaker, the voice of the cowboy boomed over the speakers. "3! 2! 1! Go!" An air horn was then followed. But before the game could start, a text box appeared.

"Don't skip it!" Brawler warned.

"I won't, I won't!" She set her controller on the floor, being careful not to do anything stupid. The instructions on the screen read:

 **Turn on the "Motion Control" switch on the controller, it will allow you to get more accurate shots.**

 **Get at least 10 targets to win**

 **Shooting targets with a cross will reduce time, good luck.**

 **Press the trigger when "Motion Control" mode is turned on.**

"Motion control mode? That's a feature?" Gunner grabbed the control and examined it. "Is there a switch for such a thing? Wait, was this always here?" She saw it now. It was a black light switch attached to the back of the device. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned it on. The controller immediately began to anomalously melt and warp, making the Mii drop it out of fear.

Under half a minute the device began to form into an actual gun, with the same color design as the controller before. The shooter picked up the weapon and examined it, she pointed the nozzle to the screen and a bright red reticle appeared. "This is officially the strangest thing I ever witnessed."

Mewtwo piped up. _"Never mind that. Now that we have this at our disposal, you should have an easier time utilizing it in the gallery."_

"Why? I never used a gun before. Heck, I don't think I even seen a gun before in person."

" _But you have experience aiming, don't you?"_ He gestured to the blast canon attached to her arm. _"I've heard you had plenty of experience with that blaster on your hand; if you're talented with that, then this gun is no different. Try thinking of it as your weapon but more old fashioned."_

"But what if I fail in shooting the targets?"

" _Then you start over and try again. There is literally no lasting consequences if you lose."_

She sighed nervously and pointed the gun at the screen. "Just a game, Gunner. It's not going to tear you apart… hopefully." The shooter said to herself. When she got her bearings, the trigger was finally pulled.

The box disappeared and Gunner waited. A target rose behind a cow skull; Gunner shot it down immediately. "That's one." Said Brawler.

Another target popped out of the ground, again like the previous one it was shot. "And that's two. Eight more to go."

"This feels wonderful." The female Mii glee. "I was so put up over nothing." A third target slid from the branch of a cactus. Gunner aimed and fired.

 **Penalty!**

 **Time Reduced**

"Wha-" Gunner became confused until she saw the cross on the bright red target. It stayed there for a moment as if it were taunting her before receding into the desert time.

" _Be more aware the next time you pull the trigger."_ Mewtwo said. The shooter felt disappointment in herself but continued regardless. Giving up now would do no favors.

Five targets came to view: two behind the cactus, one behind the skull, one on the ceiling. And the final one came in front of a rock. Gunner shot the targets on the ceiling, rock, and skull, but didn't get the one by the cactus in time. "I missed the other two."

"True, but you got three out of five. Basically average. Good in my book." Cheered Sword.

"Being average is not good, Sword."

"Not the time, Brawler."

Four targets arose. She shot two of them perfectly but a slight miscalculation made her shoot a target with a cross on it.

 **Penalty!**

 **Time Reduced**

Having her time reduced even more, she couldn't resist releasing her pent up frustration. "No! Dang it! What's with all the crosses?! Just give me the regular ones!"

 **Warning! Time is almost up!**

"No… not on my first try." Gunner pouted.

To increase the chances of success, the Pokémon took initiative and gave Gunner some encouragement. _"Only three more to go, Gunner. Give it you all."_

Gunner stayed silent before narrowing her eyes and retain attention to the gallery.

 **Final Round**

For the last round, the entire desert was filled with targets; most of them had crosses and few were normal. She would have been amused but now wasn't really the time lollygag. She shot one target behind the skull again; she was up to eight. At the same the animatronic had been counting down to the last five numbers. "5! 4!"

She then got the one by a lone mine cart; 9. "3! 2!"

She had to make this one count, she held her breath, removing the unnecessary twitching of her hands as she fired on the last target.

10.

"1! Time's up! Let's see how you did!"

 **10/10**

 **You Win!**

"Yessss." Gunner hissed with pleasure, she seat the control on the ground, then she went to her bag and got a water bottle. "Now all we have to do is the repair the tank."

"Yeah, but first we have to find the remaining pieces." Sword pointed out. "Speaking off which, where is our prize?"

Something crashed to the ground next to the girl, she twisted her body around to see the animatronic had collapsed of the floor, void of any life. The robot stared at the player with his empty eyes as he went still.

"What's wrong with him?" Brawler asked.

The girl walked over to the cowboy and kneeled down. She made a grabbing animation and stuff her hand into her pocket. In an instant, the dummy disappeared.

 **You collected the cowboy.**

"I figured we needed something to put on the plank, never thought Mr. Sheriff would be the volunteer." The fist-fighter said.

"Yeah, so odd-"

"WoooOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO…" A howl begin to sound before completely fading to silence. During this point, the music stopped, leaving only ambient noise in its wake.

Sword piped up. "Was that a wolf?"

" _It sounded like it came nearby."_ Mewtwo noted.

"Nearby?" Gunner eyes went big. "I think that's our cue to get working on the repairs, now!"

She reached to grab her controller on the ground and was surprised to see it had reverted to its normal form, but she didn't care how it happened. She made the girl jog to the dunk tank. Which brought up a still picture of the booth again. The target, cowboy, and baseball were placed religiously on the wooden planks. Gunner couldn't wait to fix this, she needs to be somewhere else.

"There's only three pieces, we need one more."

"Brawler, we went to all of the booths and we only found one at each tent. This is all we found."

" _I understand that Sword_. But the instructions said there were four, we can't continue without the fourth piece. It has to be in one of the previous booths or otherwise this puzzle is broken by default."

" _Or maybe the fourth piece is right here."_ Mewtwo suggested, everyone tilted their heads.

"That's far-fetched don't you think?" Questioned Brawler.

"Four pieces, four booths. It would make sense for the booths to have one piece each." The blade-wielder replied.

"But we already checked the dunk tank."

"Then perhaps we should check again, the object could be hidden just like the baseball."

As the Mii's debated. The shooter noticed something long and silver poking underneath the tank itself. She pressed the action button on the strange protrusion. The girl pulled on it, and revealed a long metal pipe. It was in mint condition.

 **You collected the pipe. You found all the pieces.**

 **Now the fun can begin.**

"Woah." Brawler realized that Gunner found that last piece. "Where'd did you find that?!"

"It was under the dunk tank."

The fist-fighter face-palmed, then sighed. "I really hate this game. Love the benefits, but hate the game."

Mewtwo observed the four items on the ground. _"Now we can resume our building."_

"What should I put on first?"

" _I'll leave that to your own judgement._

"Um. Okay." Gunner now in the spotlight, awkwardly turned back to the screen and went to work. She first inserted the pipe to the side of the tank, and attached the target to the end of the tube, it was the correct placement because it snapped right into place. Then the shooter laid the cowboy on the diving board. The animatronic was sat upright, leaning against the cold wall. The final component was the baseball, which was held in the girl's hand.

' _There is one more piece left but I don't see where I can put it, the target maybe?'_ Gunner thought to herself. She dragged the ball to the circle and a chain reaction commenced. The girl went back several steps and winded her arm several times. She threw the baseball in the bulls-eye of the target, the pipe turned in a clockwise motion, releasing the locks of the diving board and dropping the animatronic into the icy water below. The cowboy twitched heavily under the water; the fluid got into his circuits and was frying his entire body. This kept going until there was no more life in the robot.

A secret compartment on the base of the tank slid open like a desk drawer, the inside was felt with cloth and stuffing, appearing similar to the composition of a pillow. A blue key card with no discernible markings appeared in the box.

"Huh, there's a point for that crapshoot after all. Still, this could have gone way quicker." Brawler complained as he opened up a can of beer and took several sips. He stopped drinking when he noticed the psychic was eyeing him. "What?" He said.

" _Nothing, nothing."_ Mewtwo replied retaining his attention to the screen.

"A key card, I wonder where I'm going to use this at." Gunner stated.

Sword replied. "I have a feeling it's going to be used soon enough. Grab it."

The girl knelt down and did her standard grabbing animation at the card.

 **Congratulations!**

 **You collected the key card.**

When the protagonist pocketed the item, loud irregular footsteps was heard behind her. Whoever was making it was getting closer. The girl turned around to see something furry and gray coming into the light. It was a man in a wolf mascot costume stumbling with every step, it walked like it ankle was sprained and the red marking on the costume indicated that blood at one point had come out of the snout.

"There's something wrong with that guy." Gunner observed. "I think that person is injured!"

"Gunner I don't think-" Sword said. But Gunner had already moved her character towards the wolf, a cutscene played.

The girl walked awfully close to the mascot. "Sir, Sir? Are you alright? You seemed to be hurt. Do you need some bandages or…" The eyes of the wolf now eyed her, it growled softy as if it finally found its prey. "…Sir?"

It snarled. The wolf opened its jaws and bit the girl on the arm. The girl cried as the mascot applied pressure of its teeth on the limb. If he had biting much harder, it could have taken her entire arm off.

"Ah! What? Why is that- oh god!" The shooter panicked.

" _It's another monster of this demonic carnival! Get it off you!"_ The Pokémon warned.

Gunner pressed every single button on the controller in some vain hope of escaping this monstrosity. It was a miracle, because the girl managed to free her hand from the wolf and stumbled backwards on her buttocks. She moved back away far as she could from the bloodthirsty canine in absolute fear. Several more animal mascots left the darkness, they were all different in appearance but they all had the signature look of blood coming out of their mouths. If the girl's bladder wasn't full she would have peed her pants.

"I think it's safe to say we can leave now." Sword said.

Brawler spoke. "You think? Gunner get the hell away! Don't let them touch you!"

The girl's legs felt like spaghetti, but she forced herself to on her feet and ran, just before the wolf pounced on the spot she was on. She left the light's embrace and entered the dark's gruesome hold. It took a bit of time to eye's her adjust; when the pupils became big she saw the horde.

"Where did they come from?!" Gunner exclaimed. They came out of the tents, from the trash cans, pushing through the doors, all around the deranged mascots eyed her with hunger and thirst.

"There are so many of them, why are there so many of them?" Gazed Sword.

Mewtwo, having full knowledge of the stakes, spoke his mind. _"Staying out here any longer is a death sentence, you need to hide, Gunner."_

"Where? They're coming out of all the potential hiding places" The fist-fighter questioned.

In her panicked state, she saw her object of hope; a large square concrete building with no windows and only one red door. A small metal box was attached to the wall, with a long black stripe on the left side.

The girl knew what to do. She sprinted; doing her best to avoid the furry monsters. "You are actually facing the freaks head on?" Brawler was shocked. "Not that I'm complaining, but why?"

The shooter had her attention split, all she could say was. ""I… Found… the exit!" Her character evaded the icy hug of a polar bear, and rolled under the legs of a tall person in a giraffe costume. Getting on her knees, she witnessed a rhino raising its leg up high. The girl barely scurried away as the hoof made contact with the wood. Getting back up, she went up to the door and stopped.

"I get it now, it's a card reader." Sword observed. "Didn't think we have to use that item for a while."

The girl took the card out of her pocket but it slipped from her fingers and fell on the ground. "Oh no!"

Brawler got pissed. "God this game likes to f*cking tease us don't it!"

Lucky, the curse of clumsiness disappeared short after. Taking hold of the piece of plastic, she slid it through the box. An unlocking sound could be heard from the handle; her long-lasted safety awaits.

"KAAAAAWWW!"

Was that a rooster? Glancing behind an orange peak was coming down on her head. She duck instinctually, not out of quick think but from fear. The bird pierced the circuits of the box; electricity ran through the creature, flung its wings several times until it died. Its body was still twitching.

" _Inside! Now!"_ Mewtwo ordered.

Gunner commanded the girl to open the door and shut it tight, automatically locking the handle when it closed. Despite being out of view, the monsters continued their hunt, they weren't going to let their prey go so easily. Countless paws, hoofs, and wings pounded on the wall, they didn't care if it's hurts. Hunger was a bigger concern.

And they know exactly what they're going to be eating tonight.


	57. Chapter 57: God's Mouth

**Chapter 57: "God's Mouth"**

*SPLASH!*

Wet. Cold. Dark. Were the first sensations the Pokémon Trainer had felt when he awoken. He's struggling to open his eyes and his hearing was muffled at best, what was going on? He opened his lids.

Water, there was water all around him. He couldn't tell where he was exactly due to the absence of light, but he knew he was deep under. The boy gasped in surprised, unintentionally releasing the bubbles of air that was stuck between his cheeks; no more oxygen.

Pokémon Trainer desperate, swam up above but it was so far away, he wouldn't reach in time with his empty lungs.

But before the human could faint, several green tendrils wrapped around his waist tightly- pulling him up quickly as possible. When he got his head out of the water, the boy puked the liquid from his mouth and chocked a lot. The burning pain in his chest forced him to close his eyes again but at least he got some needed fresh air.

The plant-like tentacles continued to pull until the trained met solid land. Pokémon Trainer was then dragged onto the stone. When he felt no more movement, he'd opened eyes to see his loyal Ivysaur standing right in front of him; panting as it retracted its vines back into its body. "Saur. Ivysaur!"

Lucario was helping Ike out when he heard the news he sighed in relief. _"Oh thank Arceus, we're all accounted for. I didn't expect that to happen. That waterfall came out of nowhere!"_

Waterfall?

Indeed, there was. Pouring right into the middle of the swaying blue pit was a waterfall. How on earth didn't he noticed that at first? Must have been the adrenaline.

He patted his belt in a flash of panic. His three Pokéballs were still there, thank Arceus. He would never forgive himself If he lost his three pals, accident or otherwise. The trainer twisted his hat try as the rest of the Smashers convened at his position. "What happened?"

Snake was perplexed. "You don't remember? We literally had just crashed minutes ago. Oh I see, you fainted again. Should have taken that into account." The solider massaged his head in annoyance.

Crash. That's right. The boat capsized. They were at the river's mercy. "No, I remember that. But... how did we get from there to here?"

"You mean this place?" Ike said. "After we fallen off the waterfall, we came speeding towards a rather large hole in the ground. That's how we all got here. I assume this is a cavern of some sort."

"The river led to a cave?" PT picked himself from the ground and looked up. It was hard to see, but he saw a circle of light above; water was pouring down like there was no tomorrow. "The drop was that high?!" Exclaimed the boy. "Thank Arceus we don't take fall damage."

"*Beep boop boop beep boop beep beep?*" (How are we going to get back to the surface?) Asked the 2D man.

"Well, we're certainly going back the way we came from." Toon Link said. "I'm good at climbing but I don't think my hookshot would work here."

As if urgency had slapped him upside the head, Lucario was reminded of their directive. He turned his head from side to side, trying to peer through the darkness.

"Lucario, what's wrong?" Asked Snake.

" _I don't see them."_

Toon peered into the blackness with the Pokémon. "Are you talking about the Newcomer?"

" _Yes, but not just that. The communicator, it's still gone. This is great. Just great."_ He face palmed. _"We had two of the most important objects in our sight, and now they're gone. All because of a little earthquake."_

"Well actually, they both fell in the river just like us. So that means they should be in this cave as well." The Hylian reasoned. The Smashers wore expressions of surprise before coming to their sessions.

" _Hello! Is anyone in here?"_ Cried the canine

"We're here to help!"Announced Ike.

"*Beeeeeepppp!*" (Hello!)

They announce their presence but there was no response. Well not entirely. The sounds of their voices echoed through the cave. It was highly unlikely a response will be given.

" _I don't get it, the frog should be here."_ Lucario muttered to himself.

Pokémon Trained patted Ivysaur on the head before returning him to the empty Pokéball. Then grabbed another ball. "I think this cave is bigger than we realize, hold on." He released Charizard, the dragon roared the life when he saw his trainer. PT chuckled in response. "Glad to see you're up from your nap, buddy."

The light from the Charizard's tail lit up the area. It wasn't very bright, but it was more than enough to see up ahead. But sadly, there were still no sign of the Newcomer or communicator.

"Good thinking on using fire, PT. Hmm." Snake tapped his chin in observation. "I see another river connected to the pit of water. It's rushing heavily also. No wonder why we couldn't see that frog, it probably gotten swept away from the current. Lucky that never happened to us."

"So if we follow whatever this river leads to, we'll find the Newcomer?" The child in green repeated.

"Essentially."

"But we can't jump in the water! The current will throw us around like spare change in a washing machine. And we can't take the boat either, since it's kind of…" He turned back to the broken scraps of twisted metal and plastic. "…out of commission."

"I didn't say we had to go for a swim."

Lucario materialized a sphere of aura and tossed it into the distance, uncovering the area a bit more. _"I see a wall of stones ahead of us, we can use it as a natural walkway so no accidents occur."_

"Is it stable enough to hold us all?" The mercenary asked.

" _I'm confident it'll hold, but we should move not too quickly. The last thing we need is this mission to be derailed against because we slipped on a puddle."_

"If no one has any objections, then I suggest we continue on. There's nothing to gain by standing idle." No one raised their hands. "Then it's settled. Come on. We got a frog to catch."

* * *

The six of them followed the trail, being mindful of their steps when they came across as new landmark in their travels. This section was a large chamber rock and moss. Glistening purple crystals hung from the ceiling like icicles- shining brightly despite not having an external light source. The river below had a notice change as well; not only has it gotten slightly smaller, the stone banks have been expanded greatly; with it almost being the size of the mansion's foyer.

Mr. Game and Watch gazed at the natural chandeliers with wonder. "*Beep boop beep boop boop beep?*" (What kind of crystals are they?)

" _It's amethyst."_ Lucario piped up with a small smile, being very knowledgeable in the subject he couldn't help but talk. _"It's a variation of quartz, many people use it to protect them from wounds or from being drunk. It's a very popular crystal actually."_

"Huh, never thought you be so infatuated with a mineral, Lucario." Ike said.

" _I used to have a hobby of collecting gemstones back at my home universe. Man I felt so long ago."_ The Pokémon answered with nostalgia.

"That's so? Maybe if we get back to base, you can start you're hobby all over again. Perhaps it'll be like old times." Snake suggested.

" _Yeah… that's sounds nice."_

"Uh, guys." Interrupted Toon Link, who had been searching the area with his eyes. "I don't see the Newcomer or device anywhere."

"That means there's more ground to cover." The mercenary pointed to the darkened tunnel to where the river led. "Just keep your eyes peeled and your heads together. There-" Before he can finish an earthquake shook the area. It wasn't strong as before, but it was a force to be reckoned with.

"*Beep boop!*" (Another one?)

Snake gritted his teeth. "God! Have many of these are we going to have today?" The jerking motion of the land triggered an effect on the crystals, it appears there's something moving on them. "What. Is my eyes playing tricks on me?"

Small crystalline entities began to fly off of the amethyst by instinct, they were not part of crystal themselves but rather were merely resting on the purple surface. These creatures were small. Their main body was shaped to that of a large pill capsule. Two thin violet triangular appendages were attached to each of them, it fluttered multiple times- adding them in flight. All of them had a different design etched into the triangles: stripes, polka-dots, checkers… It wouldn't be surprising if these things were once beautiful pieces of art in an exhibit.

The Hylian gasped. "Wow. They look like- like-"

" _Butterflies."_ Lucario answered. _"They're made of something inorganic, but yet they're living as any normal insect. "Wow" indeed."_

"This is proof that magic is present in this area, we should let Zelda know as soon as possible. She could possibly make heads of this." Snake said. Zelda was their magic specialist. Without her they would still be trying to decipher how a simple wand would work. There was Ganondorf, but that was a whole another beast (Pun unintended).

Suddenly a pink light shine from overhead. One of the butterflies flew into the glowing beam and a crystalline being came down and chomped on the mineral insect. Crushing the poor thing between its teeth with pure satisfaction.

"*BEEEP!*" (GAAHH!) G&W screamed out loud in surprised, most of the Smasher's were shocked into silence as they saw this monster. It looked like an eel but made of pink crystal. That white light from earlier came from both its eyes, must have been a natural part of its structure. Looking up the group could see that this creature came down from above thanks to a rather large hole in the ceiling, but that's was the start of their problems. More of these eels came down through the plethora of holes that decorated the top of the chamber.

Ike felt dust fall on his shoulder. It was only a small amount but he had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen. "Get away from the corridor!"

Obeying his warning, the trophies scurried away from the entrance as fast as they can. Just as the mercenary predicted, something bad did happen. One last eel came down, it kept its light on the passageway; can't go that way again, they need to go forward.

"More monsters!" Toon Link prepared an arrow to fire when Lucario stopped him. _"I don't think they know we're here."_ Despite making a lot of sound, the eels paid no entrance to the fighters. The jackal then saw another butterfly going into a pink light and was subsequently gobbled up by a separate eel. _"They can only see in the spot light, that's their weakness."_

"Can they hear us too?" Pokémon Trained caressed his Pokéball nervously.

" _They would have noticed Game & Watch's scream if that was the case; must be deaf too." _The 2D man in question flustered in embarrassment. _"The other corridor is not that far away, if we can sneak past without touching the light, we can get away from this unscathed."_

"*Beep boop boop beep boop boop beep? Booop beep beep boop.*" (Shouldn't we just jump in the river instead? It would be the faster option.) The flat Smasher asked.

"True, it's faster. But the current is still strong. We still don't know where the stream go. For all we know this could connect to another waterfall." Ike explained.

"Yeah, I'm getting sick of those things already." Snake muttered.

"I see… do we go together as a group then?" The trainer asked.

" _No, it'll be hard to sneak if we did that. Let's send one of us across at time. We'll have a lot space to work with if we go that route."_ Lucario suggested.

Toon Link didn't like the plan, and subsequently complained as a result. "But that'll waste a lot of time, the Newcomer could be serious trouble by the time we get past these eels."

"Hate to admit it. But the kid has a point." The solider admitted. "Dammit we're just wasting time by just arguing. God Dammit."

"*Beep Boop Beep Boop Beep Boop, Beep beep beep beep boop beep?*" (What if we all go at once, but we're spread apart?) Proposed the 2D man. "*Beep boop, beep boop beep boop boop boop.*" (It's fast, and's it's safer than being clumped together.)

"Hmm. It does have the best of both of both world." Snake said.

" _It does, but something could always go wrong."_ Lucario replied.

"Any plan could go wrong, just hope Murphy's Law doesn't come by to knock your teeth in. Let's put to a vote. Does anyone want to go with this plan or not?" All nods. "Alright then, let's go."

"Hold up." PT pointed the Pokéball to his Charizard. "Charizard, return." The boy said as the orange dragon got sucked into the device.

"You're not keeping him out?" The Hylian said.

"No." The trainer replied. "If one of us was going to get hurt. I'd rather have it be me than my friends."

"Remember, whatever you do, just stay out of the light." The mercenary reminded. As they agreed, the six heroes broaden their position from each other but yet retain an eye on everyone's wellbeing.

Snake took the charge. His entire profession, his life, revolved around stealth. Sure he wasn't on the battlefield any more, but his affinity for the shadows made him the ideal candidate for sneaking. He laid on his stomach and he crawled forward.

Lucario wasn't a super solider, but he certainly could compete with one. He flipped and dashed past the pink beams. His moved around like a trapeze artist enjoying himself for the first time. He was halfway across the chamber when he noticed the solider staying still whiles a light was coming towards his way.

" _Wha- Snake get away from the light! You're going to get caught!"_ The blue canine telepathically warned.

He didn't listened to him, instead, he pulled out his favorite cardboard box from thin air and put himself under it.

" _It can still see that box, you'll-"_ The pink light went over the box, no problem. When the beam passed, he continued forward with his cardboard disguise.

' _THAT WORKED?!'_ Lucario screamed in his mind. It was one thing if you're doing it in plain sight, but they were underground. These creatures shouldn't know what boxes are. They should have been at least a little intrigued. Is the art of steal really that easy as putting a brown rectangle over your body or is there something else he was missing. Lucario sure he'll never even comprehend the answer if he got it, but the most likely theory he came up with was that Snake was part box, that was the only explanation the Pokémon could come up with to why his friend was so obsessed with those things.

" _Nevermind."_ The aura wielder said aloud, before resuming his dodging.

Ike's bulker form made it significantly harder to pass by, nonetheless he gave it his all; nothing to gain by sitting on the floor and quitting. The one-armed swordsman jogged as fast as he can, only stopping when a light came past him. Two beams to the left and right of his position were closing in at fast pace, there wouldn't be enough time to simply jump out of sight. So, Ike raised his sword from his chest, wind blew behind him as he charged his blade. The lights didn't get a chance to draw near as the man sped into the clearing in a blink of eye. The Veteran rolled his neck, cracking it as he broke out into a sprint.

Toon Link and Mr. Game and Watch were the only fighters who stuck together. Even though they agreed spacing was key, they didn't feel comfortable with the idea. They were small lightweights. Sure they're great Smashers but the teeth on those monsters are something else, if those molars can crush pure crystal imagine what they'll do to tiny men like them. Pairing up was the better option, if the duo got caught they can rely on each other for escape.

Unfortunately, what was feared came to fruition. A light had shined solely upon the 2D man. Both he and the Hylian froze; the blood had run cold. ""Watch!" the boy squeaked out of fear for his partner's being.

G&W knew that any attempt to scramble out of sight would give him away. Desperate, the flat being told his trump card.

The crystal creature blinked a couple of times, confused. It thought it saw potential food but then it disappeared. Was its eye's playing tricks again?

In reality, Mr. Game and Watch turned his body 90 degrees facing the monster. He looked nothing special from any other perspective but from the eel's point of view it was only seeing the very thin side of the Smasher, he looked like nothing. Essentially making him invisible.

Having being tricked, the crystal creature glazed its light beams elsewhere, and salivated in glee to what it targeted next. Toon Link blinked several times until he noticed the pink light bathing his tunic. "Oh no." The boy muttered.

The eel narrowed its eyelids and gave a roar that would fit an ancient dragon from legend. The Hylian threw a bomb at the snout but the monster caught the explosive between its teeth and crushed it with one chomp. It then chewed on the remains before swallowing, as if it was taunting the hero.

Toon Link readied his master sword and got in a stance. The eel snarled then rushed its head forward for the attack. Then-

*KLING!*

The flat man came in front of the boy and unleashed his mighty thin hammer on the hungry eel. A number appeared above his head: 8. Ice encased the monster's head; it couldn't see and it couldn't bite. The thing was practically thrashing its large head around to get rid of the freezing bindings.

" _Don't stand there. GO!"_ Lucario warned.

The lightweights obeyed and ran as fast as their bodies allowed. The eel slammed its face against the stone, shattering the ice. It shook its head a couple times then snarled. It was thinking about searching those prey again but was distracted by a butterfly. Thoughts of chasing disappeared; a new snack needed to be tasted.

Toon Link and Mr. Game & Watch met up with the Smashers at the other corridor. Lucario sighed in relief. _"You two came by in one piece, thank Arceus you didn't get hurt."_

"At ease, Lucario. These warriors made it out with relative ease." Ike said. "No need to worry."

" _No need? They could have seriously gotten hurt by that thing. Toon's percentage would have been so high if he got bit. Dammit. We should have brought more men and gear to this forest-"_

"Lucario." Snake deadpanned. "We talked about this."

" _Sorry, sorry. I'm still trying to adjust. I'll do better next time. I promised."_ The canine reassured with a nod.

Mr. Game & Watch gave emitted a beep to draw attention to himself. "*Beep boop beep booop beep boop, boop beep boop boop?*" (Now that we're all here, can we go now?)

"Yes. Let's go now so- wait." The mercenary did a head count. "Where's trainer?"

The group searched the floor and found the boy carefully tiptoeing around the pink circles moving around on the stone. "Sorry for taking so long." He apologized. "Never thought sneaking would be so… tricky."

"It's fine, Red. You're doing fine." Said Snake, The trainer rolled his eyes at that comment, he believed he told everyone to stop saying his name years ago. "Just stay the course."

"Yeah, PT! You are almost there, man. Keep going." Encouraged Toon Link.

Pokémon Trainer smiled and continued his steps with purposed. Out of nowhere, a giant light appeared right in front of him. This light was twice the size of the other ones, and most notably had a darker hue of pink. The adolescent stopped mere inches from the stoplight, he halted so suddenly he almost tripped over his own shoes.

PT now eyed the huge circle, mouth agape that he almost being seen by a monster. After a second or two, the boy relaxed.

"Trainer! Behind you!" Ike shouted.

Perplexed, the trainer swiveled his head to see a crystal butterfly crashing into his nose. The pain made him stumble back into the light. Then, a loud roar was heard followed by dust falling from the ceiling. An eel popped from the darkness above. This monster was huge compared to the others creatures, its head was the size of train car- that's how big it was.

" _No. We were so close!"_ Lamented Lucario. Everyone else had their eyes wide open. The eel licked its lips as it started down the shaking Veteran. With one fell swoop, the monster grasp the trainer between its jaws and began chewing the boy, who was screaming in horror as the teeth began racking percentage on his body.

Ike charged his sword with blue fire and charged to the crystal monstrosity. "Hold on to your spirit, Trainer! I'm coming!" The mercenary threw his sword in the air, then followed suit with one big leap. Grasping his blade again, he flipped several times and finished with striking the tip of his weapon against the creature's head.

The attack stunned the eel, but it get harmed, much less released its prey. The purple beast turned around and stared the blue-haired lord with annoyance. Before it could do anything else, an arrow had landed precisely in its eye, lodging deep within the cavity. The eel screeched in pain and released the trainer on the floor.

"Yes!" The Hylian did a fist pump in the air. "Perfect bullseye."

The monster used its mineral tongue to dislodge the sharpened bolt from its eye. Upon removing the arrow, it growled and stared down at PT with anger. It lunged its jaw at the boy.

Lucario used his move, _Extreme Speed_ and rushed over to the trainer, pushing him and the human out of the way of the snapping jaws. It was Mr. Game & Watch's turn next. The 2D man wielded the hammer once more and bonk the thing on the nose. The number was a nine.

The eel's head swung back from the impact; a web of cracks had now appeared on its snout.

The kid from Kanto thanked the blue canine for saving him and pulled out his Pokéball. "Go Chairzard! I choose you!" The device opened and released the fire type, who roared in excitement now he was back in action. The eel screech again, and went forward with another attack.

"Charizard, use _Flare Blitz!_ " The dragon took a step back then flew at a fast pace at the enemy. The Pokémon coated itself with fire and spun around as he slammed into the opponent's snout. The slam left the eel dazed; the majority of the creature's face was full of cracks, it looked like the slightest brush would make it fall apart.

Snake unhooked a hand grenade from his belt and pulled the metal pin away from the socket. "Go to hell you purple son of a bitch!" He cried as he threw the explosive at the monster. The explosion blasted the eel's head into a hundred pieces. The shard clattered all over the chamber as the last of the creature's life force faded away. Now the tea, could finally follow the river in peace.

Or they would have if the eel's headless body hadn't crashed over the section where the Smashers were standing. The stone cracked slightly before caving in entirely. The trophies barely had enough time to register as they fell down again into the abyss. The darkness couldn't be blacker.

* * *

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Toon Link yelled, waving his arms around like a bird attempting to regain flight. His eyes widened when the distance became shorter and shorter until…

*Crash!*

The Smashers crash landed again, this time on soft dirt. Thanks to their impact, the place was filled with brown dust. The air became challenging to breathe, but luckily the presence of fresh oxygen overpowered the clutter giving the fighter's lung a rest. The fall was much shorter than they expected but now they strayed further from the trail. Leaving them totally blind.

"Well, think stinks." Ike said, wiping the soil from his cape.

Snake stood and looked up at the hole they came from "It's been closed off. That eel must have collapsed it. We need another way."

Lucario's eyes widened, then he bared his fangs and yelled. _"Arceus Dammit!"_ He winded up one of his fuzzy legs and kicked a rock to the side. _"I'm not gonna… not again!"_ The Pokémon took a running start and jumped at the blocked entrance. It was all for naught when he failed to reach it and landed back on his feet.

"*Beep? Beep beep beep?*" (Lucario? Are you okay?) Mr. Game & Watch asked cautiously.

The jackal breathed slowly. Tears begin to formulate in his eyes, and his paws were jittering. He rotate his head around in a split of anger and pointed _"YOU!"_

The finger was at PT. Everyone was stunned, including the trainer. "Me?"

" _Yes, you! What we're you thinking?!"_ The dog growled. _"Did you know what you just done?"_

"Woah! Clam down man!" The Hylian said.

The Kanto boy was so confused, had did he meant by that? "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

" _You were so close to the end!"_ Lucario seethed. _"All you had to do was walk around it, but no, you went face first into the light, got us in an avoidable battle, and now we're stuck here! How can a boy, who became the champion of your region and defeated the leader of Team Rocket be this incompetent!?"_

This conversation was getting personal, it became more apparent now. Charizard roared in anger and opened its mouth threateningly, fire flickered out of the dragon's oral cavity to signal that if he did anything drastic. His rump will be on fire.

Pokémon Trainer stammered back a bit, stuttering his words. "I-I didn't mean that to happen. It was pure accident. I swear on my life it was."

" _Yeah, because you weren't paying attention."_ Lucario took steps forward. Causing the human and orange Pokémon to be tense. _"Do you know what caught my attention? I saw-"_ He stopped. Someone grabbed his shoulder, the canine followed the arm to see it belonged to his best friend, Snake; who now wore a scowl on his lip. "Lucario. Stop it. Now."

" _What?"_

"This will only cause division. That's the last thing we need right now. Just stop."

" _But Snake! PT caused this to happen to us, you're just going to let that slide?"_

"If you're going to be angry with him, you going to be angry with me as well."

Lucario was confused as hell. _""Why should I be angry with you? Snake, you did nothing wrong."_

"I threw the grenade at that eel, the explosion caused its body to slam into the earth and make us fall." The solider pointed to the belt that contained said grenades. "I didn't have to do that. It was stunned, we could have evaded but I couldn't resist the tick to end the creature's life. It was unnecessary if you think about it. If Trainer "caused the problem", then I for sure ended it."

Lucario refused to believe what the solider was communicating. _"But Snake, you didn't mean it. It was a plain fluke. Pure-"_

"-Accident?" The Veteran finished. "The same thing could be said for Trainer too, and yet he's the guilty one. So let me ask you something: Why is PT getting all the blame whiles I have a free pass? What's the difference?"

The aura master was flabbergasted. He never expected Snake to retort in such a manner. He then looked to his teammates, they all eyed with a look of disapproval. Lucario breath shook, finding the right words for an answer. _"I…I."_

"Guys, there's something on the walls on the cave. You need to check this out." Ike announced. His back was turned to the group, his eyes glazed elsewhere. "It's… it's paintings."

"Paintings of what?" Snake asked.

"You tell me."

The Smasher's pushed away the argument for now and gathered around the wall. There were paintings on the wall, crudely made with natural dyes and tar. These paintings were arranged in order, as if telling a story that happened long ago. The one that Ike was staring at happened to be the first in order.

The image showed stick figures of different colors except they were made from lined squares and shapes. The scenery was had to tell but it looked like they were in a park; trees and flowers scattered around as they figures played or rested in the heart of nature.

The next scene depicted a white descending on the park, the stick figures appeared to be running away in fear or crying.

Toon Link rubbed his chin in thought. "You don't thing that's supposed to represent master hand, right?"

"It's a possibility, let's keep reading." PT Said.

The third pictured showed stick figures in shiny armor welding sword and shooting arrows at the hand. Red lines and splotches covered the entity. Whatever this thing was, it was taking a beating.

"*Beep, Boop boop beep boop beep boop beep boop?*" (Huh, so the white thing is losing now?) Asked Mr. Game & Watch.

"I would agree, but…" The mercenary pointed to the next painting. "I think that was not the case." The hand had been shredded to pieces by an unknown force. In the middle of the white splotches were a purple sphere surrounded by something black and amorphous. This new entity emitted purple rings around it, whatever this rings were made of; they seemed to be expanding outward.

Next, an image of a destroyed village appeared: fire consumed trees, houses collapsed and countless dead stick figures littered the streets. It was chaos giving in art form.

" _The village has medieval architecture."_ Lucario observed. _"Kind of something you expect from the Fire Emblem Universe._ "

"No." Ike shook his head.

" _Hm?"_

"This doesn't look anything from my world. I haven't seen any designs like this in any of my travels. And we certainly didn't have a giant floating hand in our history books. This is definitely referring to our world."

The jackal was going to respond by the Hylian cut him off. "Hey look, some of the little guys survived." The picture showed a handful of the figures going into a large hot air balloon. Of the figures stayed behind, an orange one, it waved its people goodbye a last farewell.

The next scene showed the stick figures holding chisels and hammers, crafting something on a white pedestal. It was an eyeball with a bright green iris. The pupil looked as the very pupils itself was staring the trophies down. So unsettling.

The last painting depicted the members going down separate roads. They were divided into three groups, one of the members of each groups carried small brown chest in their hands. A hand print was by the image. It was a red hand print that had been pressed against and dragged down the wall. It didn't look like paint. There were two words written on the very bottom: **"We have been swallowed by God's Mouth."**

"Is that what I think it is?" Red cringed.

"Best not to think about it." Warned the solider.

"Men. I think that white hand really is Master Hand." Ike found it hard to believe but it was the only plausible answer. "There is no one else that could fit that description."

"That's impossible. In the story that white hand was torn apart by the black smoke pearl. If the painting was true we wouldn't have met the five-fingered devil during our battle with Tabuu."

" _You're making an assumption, Toon. It doesn't say when this tale took place."_ Lucario reminded. _"Assuming if this story is true at all."_

"But the kid raised a good point." Snake admitted. "What's up with the dark cloud. It literally came out of nowhere."

"Well not entirely out of nowhere, in the previous scene the hand was injured. The dark entity could be a part of the white entity." The kid in the green tunic said.

"*Beep boop boop boop beep boop boop beeeep boop boop boop?*" (Are you seriously suggesting that the black smoke monster is Master Hand's final form or something?)

"Well we don't know everything about Master Hand." He shrugged his shoulders. "Every time he fought us, he always brought a new power to the table."

" _Nope. That's too far-fetched, even for him."_ Lucario disagreed. _"If this… was a part of his power, then why didn't he used it against us by now? Doesn't add up."_ His ears went upright immediately, he cupped his paws around the earhole to improve sound quality.

"What's the matter?" Ike titled his head to the side.

" _I hear rushing water."_

"Lucario, you're must be hearing wrong. Because I don't hear anything-"

"No, wait." Pokémon Trainer interrupted the blue-haired man. "I hear it too. Listen."

The group stayed quiet and stayed put. Along with the silence, there was indeed another sound. It was faint but it was there was no denying to what it was.

"Rushing water?" Snake said. When the solider made the observation, the jackal's ears went up. _"Water?"_ His enhance senses allowed him to pinpoint the source to his right. Another entrance hung over the wall of the cave; it was high off the ground. _"Ah! The river."_ Lucario realized as he split off from the team to investigate.

"Hey, wait for us." Toon Link hollered. The Smashers met up with Lucario, who was looking overhead. _"There."_ The canine pointed. _"We can get back to the river through here."_

"Good eye, but what makes you think this will lead back to the river?" Ike asked.

" _A hunch."_ Lucario saw the face curling into uncomfortable frowns. _"Look. We got nowhere else to go. If this doesn't get us back on the trail then we're totally boned."_

"Alright, fair point. But the ledge it too high. I don't think a double jump will even be enough."

"I can use my Hookshot." A squeaky voice said, the mercenary turned to see the Hylian pull out the device in question.

Snake eyed the tool. "The ancient grappling gun of yours? How so?"

"I know I mainly used it to latch myself onto objects but I can also make it function as a sort of rope. All I need to do is latch on one of the edges and presto! We'll get the chance to leave this dark room."

" _Great plan!"_ The Pokémon exclaimed. _"Ok Toon, aim that hook at the hole and-"_

"*Beep.*" (Wait.) Mr. Game & Watch injected himself in the conversation. "*Beep boop beep boop beep boop beep boop? Beep boop beep boop boop beep.*" (What if there's something dangerous over that ledge? We could have another "eel" situation if we're not too careful.)

" _Well we can't stay here."_ Lucario huffed.

"*Beep boop. Boop beep boop boop beep beep boop beep boop beep boop boop beep boop beep.*" (I know that. I'm just saying someone to check first before we proceed.)

"Well who's going to do it?" Toon Link asked.

The Pokémon Trainer straightened his hat and step forward. "I volunteer."

"Eh? Oh, PT if you're volunteering because of earlier, then don't. Don't push yourself because of the guilt you may be feeling." Snake was giving Lucario a disappointing look, causing the aura master to look away in shame.

"No. It's not that." The trainer said. "I never been able to pull my weight around here. With my Pokémon to assist me, I would easily get my butt kicked. Heck, I bet even a Magikarp _would_ be able to kick my butt."

Snake was about to speak again but was cut off. "No time for the pep talk, it'll have to wait. Charizard can fly me up there and I can make sure it's safe. Then I'll give the signal and we can continue forth. You are okay with me riding you, right." He asked his orange friend. The dragon didn't even hesitate to nod back. "See? No Problem. I can handle it."

Snake shook his head. "Fine, make it quick."

The trainer gave a thumbs up. "Got it." He placed himself on Charizard's back, his Pokémon hovered to the edge of the hole. The human departed, and both he and his friend stood on the ledge.

" _What do you see?"_ Curiosity engulfed the jackal's brain. What was on the other side?

PT squinted his eyes so his eyes can adjust in the darkened entrance. "There's a slope in here, it's very steep too. Reminds me of one of those slides I used to ride when I was still in school."

" _Anything else?"_

"Hmm, I think there's…" Pokémon Trainer took a step forward to get a better sight but inadvertently slipped on an unseen part of the slope. "Woah!" He yelled as he slid down the slope.

"BEEP!" (PT!) The flat man exclaimed.

Charizard in an instant flew after his human companion. The trainer on the other hand was disoriented, the combination of turns and darkness didn't help at all. The only light he saw was the glow of the various purple crystals that were placed all over the tunnel.

But the he saw another light. It was the end of the tunnel. He couldn't see because of the sheet brightness of it all. When he reached the end he fell into blinding white. PT yelped as he felt something grab onto his shirt, saving him from crashing. He turned his head to see the orange Pokémon holding on to him. The trainer smiled. "Thank you, buddy! I feared what would happen if you didn't come." Charizard snorted smoke and gave a smile as he lower down to the floor and let go of the human.

Now that he wasn't under the effects of that short spike of adrenaline, he got a clearer picture. It was another chamber but this was different. The river they missed moments ago had been routed to this area. The stream came from a dark passage at the right side of the cave wall and merged together into a large sized pool of water, with the middle being the deepest and the rims being the shallowest. Sunlight was shining into the cavern. Following the rays, he saw a hole near the ceiling. It had to lead to the outside. A rope ladder was connected to the wall, allowing anyone in here to get in or out.

"Trainer, are you alright?!" Ike voice echo from the tunnel he came out of. The kid took a breath and raised the volume of his own voice. "I'm alright. I found it!"

"Found what?" Snake asked

"The end of the river! That's not all, the way outside is here too."

" _I knew this was the right path!"_ Lucario said to himself. _"We're coming over."_

"Ok! The slope is fine to slide on but there's a drop at the end. It's not too high, so it's not that big of a deal." Warned PT. He waited until every single member of the team came into the chamber. As the last Smasher was in the process of going through. The boy from Kanto noticed something sticking out to the outer edges of the water. He submerged his left hand into the pond and pulled out the communicator. "Huh, our luck must be turning around." He muttered.

" _You found the communicator?!"_ Lucario dashed to the boy with excitement. The trainer handed over the device to the jackal, who immediately caressed it with his large paws.

"*Beep boop beep?*" (Is it working?)

" _Yeah… it is."_ Lucario paused. _"…actually working. Bless R.O.B. for adding those water-proof features. I have to thank him. In fact, we need to call him. They're probably panicking about where we are."_

"I agree, but not here. We should get to the surface and call. They'll have an easier time to spot us through the trees if we do."

" _Yeah, you're probably right."_

"Hey! There's footprints coming out of the water." Toon Link pointed out. A series of wet markings were leading from the pond and to the ladder. They appeared as webbed feet.

"Webbed feet, huh. That's something a frog would have." Snake pointed out. "The ladder is dripping as well. It must have gone up to the surface.

" _What are we waiting for then? Let's get after it._ " Lucario said.

"We don't know where the Newcomer is exactly. If need to call R.O.B. first, he'll give us the location of the signal and we can continue our search from there."

The jackal sighed. _"Fine. We'll call first. But then we're going after the frog straight after."_

"That's the plan." The solider said as he gripped the ladder. "Come on, I'm not getting any older."

"But Snake, Isn't it impossible for us to age since we're immortal?" The Hylian questioned.

"Toon. Now's not the time for your witty comments. Quit being a Smart Aleck and climb."


	58. Chapter 58: Twisted Reflections

**Chapter 58: Twisted Reflections**

The girl slammed the door shut, backing away from the unbearable pounding and snarls coming from the other side; she was safe… for now. At this point the protagonist slumped to the floor and cried her heart out, tears dripped on her pants like harsh rain on a cold day. Similarly, Gunner was acting frightful as well, she tossed the controller from her hands. The shooter wasn't brawling her eyes out (her eyes have already run dry.) instead she was panting over and over again. Less air was getting in and more fear was pouring out.

"Hey!" Brawler shouted, he dived to the floor to catch the controller. He fell too short, his eyes widened as he the colorful toy heading straight down on the hard surface. But suddenly, it stopped in midair. The device hovered for a moment before being set down gently. Brawler felt a presence behind him, he turned to see Mewtwo's hand extended to the object before he let his arm down to rest.

The fist-fighter grabbed the controller and marched up to Gunner. "Why did ya toss this thing? It could've been broken on the floor!"

"Sorry! Sorry." Gunner said between pants. "I didn't think… it be far… was aiming for something soft." The woman didn't even want to look at her friend, she couldn't bear to reveal her face to them. Not like this.

"Dammit! She hyperventilating!" Sword searched through the pile of food and junk they had set on the ground. "Where is that bag? Ah! Here it is." The blade-wielder pulled out a brown paper bad. He was about to give it to Gunner but Brawler stopped him. "No. We can't use the bag this time."

"You crazy! She'll get hurt!"

"She won't." Brawler deadpanned. "The bag will only serve as a parasitic crutch to her. She needs to control her breathing on her own."

Sword's mouth was wide open. "That's cruel."

"It's not cruel to prepare people for a harsh reality." Brawler took a knee to Gunner's side. "Do not intervene." The blonde Mii was in the process of coming up with a retort, but the fist-fighter was already talking.

"Gunner. Calm down." It didn't work she was still panting.

"The killer furries are gone. There's no need for the "Fight or Flight" mode." Still panting.

"Oh for the love of… STOP PANTING!" Gunner froze. Her breath was held for a second or two before she breathe normally.

"Sorry." She said. "I was under a rush and honesty thought that those things-"

"I know. We all saw it. Stop with the excuses and calm the hell down. Now's a really bad time to pass out."

"Sorry. I'm calm now."

"Please. Stop saying "sorry". It's not helping at all."

"Sor- uh… sure… sure." Gunner felt calm rest into her mind, it felt so wonderful.

"I know you are startled. But you need to pick up the controller and continue playing."

So much for calm, it was nice whiles it lasted. "But I-"

"Gunner, you are fighting for our freedom here, are you really going to let some pixels on a screen take control of your life." Brawler leaned forward to her face, she didn't know what to do. "Come on. You're better than this. Don't drag yourself down because of your damn fear. You need to get over it. Try to think of the hangouts you and I had. Remember what I taught you."

' _Hangouts, with those two alone?'_ Mewtwo thought. _'What is he implying?'_ The psychic received memories from the girl on his own volition. He didn't want the entire recollection, just the important bits.

… _The beach was windy, but it wouldn't bother her one bit. She aimed at a rock at the sand but missed spectacularly. "Son of a bitch." Brawler face-palmed. "Hold your breath. You'll get a better aim if you do. Try not fail this… again." She felt uncomfortable by his advice but obeyed. She lined her arm cannon once again…_

… _No, no, no. The Brawler grunted. He grabbed the weight from Gunner's hands. "You're just fu*king around now. For the last time. It goes like this… "There. That's how you do a curl. Now, do another repeat."… "Good. That's really good. Wait! No, don't dr- ah! Dammit you let it drop to your foot again. Keep a strong grip or I'll give you a smaller weight instead."_

 _Brawler tossed metal balls at the shooter. She had been frantically trying to dodge the projectiles in panic. After several embarrassing hits to the stomach and face region she got the hang of it, and soon passed his test. "Congratulations! You know how to dodge correctly. We're done for today but for next time I want to try something different."_

Sounds and images of Brawler putting through Gunner through various challenges and tests was processed through the legendary's brain. She didn't like it at all, but yet she went through the trouble, even respected that hothead for the 'help' he given her. He was deliberately pushing her… why?

Gunner got her bearings and took hold of the controller. "I see… I see what you're saying. Okay." The shooter sighed. "It would be unfair if I quit because I'm scared. I'll try my best. Even if I have to punch my fear in the face."

"That's the spirit." Brawler patted Gunner face whiles giving Sword 'You-We're-Saying?' Look. The blonde retorted with the 'Just-Shut-Up-Look'. "So where are you now?"

"Um, give me a sec." Gunner unpaused the game. The girl stopped her crying and stood on her feet.

 **No. I can't sulk here right now. It wouldn't be what she wanted. I have to go forth, in her memory.**

"She?" Gunner said. "There's another character in this story?" The Mii would have given much thought if the environment took her attention. There was a narrow corridor, the ceiling and floor was covered in a variety of paint splotches and spills; it seemed to be deliberate. The walls were entirely made out of reflective glass, and in fine condition too. There wasn't even a smudge or scratch on any of the surfaces.

"'Hall of Mirrors' it's one of those attractions when you're stuck in a room and you have to navigate through a maze of mirrors right?" She asked.

"Yeah, looks like it. Never did like them." Brawler added.

"Really? Why's wrong with the attraction? I used to have a blast when I was a kid." Sword replied. "Or at least I think it did. You know, amnesia and stuff."

"I find it annoying that you're essentially going in blind not knowing where the exit is. Besides, its grating I have to see myself flounder in confusion in those attractions. Man, sometimes I can't stand the sight of my face."

"How do you think I feel every day?"

"Do you want to be sucker punched in your face, blondie?"

"I'm just agreeing to your sentiment. Not my fault you walked into that one."

" _Children. You can act for frustrations later. I don't want our freedom delayed because of a temper tantrum. Gunner is there anything else you see?"_

The shooter squinted her eyes. "There's a marking on the end of the hall. Hard to see though."

" _Then try getting closer."_

Gunner commanded the girl to walk forward to the symbol on the mirror; an arrow pointed east, made from hundreds of lines scratched into the mirror. "It's a directional arrow, like the ones you see driving on the road."

The girl rotated her body to the right, more marking were found. "There's more of the too. I think they're leading me somewhere."

"The exit?" Sword suggested.

"I would love to agree, but that's just wishful thinking. This can go anywhere at this point."

"Anywhere, but the end of the game." Brawler seethed. "More bullcrap. Well you should follow the path for now, you'll be going in blind either way so what the hell.

"Sure. I'll do my best." The girl walked through corridor to corridor. There were no monsters thankfully but the trip was somewhat boring. Brawler was about to complain again but then Gunner found the end of the trail pointing to an opening doorway. "What is this supposed to be? Another puzzle?"

The room had no mirrors. There were colorful marking all over too: Apples, clouds, cats, planes, castles, guns, and toothbrushes were only some of pictures she recognized on the walls. More had yet to be identified.

In the center were small seven white pillars surrounding one big pedestal in the center. On each of the small pillars were objects matching the color of the rainbow in order: a brand of red lipstick, an orange pumpkin, a yellow rubber duck, a single green sandal, a blue wallet, an indigo flower, and a spool of violet thread. A laser corresponding to the color of the object beamed out of all the pillars and into a large glass pyramid resting on the pedestal.

"Oh, I know this one! This is referring to light refracting right?" Sword said.

Mewtwo shook his head. _"No. Light refraction is the act of bending light. This puzzle is referring light dispersion."_

Brawler opened a can of beer. "What the f*ck is light dispersion?"

" _It's a phenomenon in which light, through the use of a prism, separates into bands of color. It's what the puzzle is referring to, although the process seems to be in reverse."_

"Let me guess, you know this because R.O.B. bore you with science lessons?"

" _None of the sort. I was self-taught."_

"Well aren't you a smart cookie. Maybe next time you can use that brain of you to construct a brewery around here. It'll be nice to drink some beer straight from the tap."

" _We have no need for a brewery."_

"I **highly** disagree."

"How many cans did you drink?" Asked Sword.

"Not enough. Gunner do you see another opening in the room? Perhaps a door or a window?"

Gunner squinted her eyes to the screen. "No, this is a dead end by the looks of it… huh? Hold on, I think I see something sparking on the floor, right by the giant pillar." The girl walked over to the sparkle and knelt down, picking up the object to store it in her inventory.

A sprite of a handheld mirror came into view. The glass was spotless and the handle was pure black.

 **A mirror? Is this connected to lasers somehow? Hmm.**

"Yep. That's our cue." The fist-fighter snapped his fingers. "Gunner, use that mirror on one of the mirror and see what happens."

"What? No! Something bad could happen!"

"The hell did you came to that conclusion?"

"When I got the key to the gate the fish monster came out of the water and tried to eat me. What if I activate a booby trap or the lasers cut me in half? I'll be dead!"

Brawler resisted the urge to face palm. "Gunner, that eel on the pier was there for shock value, it was scripted. This is completely different. It's a puzzle, you're supposed to solve it. If you do die, you can just restart. This is a video game after all."

The shooter eyed Swordfighter. "There is nothing else we can do here but then to play along." Said the blonde. "Don't worry though. I played video games like this in the game room all the time, they never kill you when you try to solve these kinds of things."

Gunner sighed in partial relief. "Alright then. I'll go ahead then." Gunner commanded the girl to walk in front of the red laser and pressed the action button. She carefully placed the mirror beneath the laser, allowing it to reflect off the surface. The girl adjusted the position of the mirror to move the laser to get a reaction. Luckily, she did.

The end of the laser came across one of the markings on the wall. The beam of colored light stopped in place and the symbol glowed blood red. "?" Gunner tilted her head in confusion, was this a good or bad?

The marking shined brighter until it emitted a beam straight at the prism, which glowed the same color as the laser. Additionally, the laser at the lipstick pillar vanished in an instant. The object on top turned black and white, losing its entire hue.

"It's gray?" Commented Sword.

The girl ran over to the pillar and examine it.

 **It's faded. Did the object deactivate or is it broken?... There's some text written on the front of the pillar: "Sweet Kisses"**

"Kisses?" Gunner move the camera angle to the symbol on the wall; crudely drawn lips.

"I don't know why, but I have a sudden craving for chocolate." Brawler said, rummaging through the bag.

" _Gunner, examine of remaining pillars."_ Mewtwo teleported to the shooter's side, levitating slightly off the floor.

"Why?"

" _I'll explain in a moment. Just examine."_

The Mii wearing the orange top was confused, still, she followed the order out of respect. The girl went to the pumpkin pillar.

 **Like the last one, there's writing on here too: "Deep inside us all, we carry a little flame that burns to great length. Put like any other fire. It can be extinguished"**

"Another one." Brawler observed, chewing on a candy bar. The girl went to the yellow pillar next.

" **We all have to grow up"**

" _A pattern."_ Mewtwo rubbed his chin. _"Continue."_

For the fourth one, she went to the sandal.

" **Stranded"**

Then the blue wallet.

" **Like it or not, money makes the world go around"**

Then the flower.

" **Everything used to be so perfect? What happened?"**

Then lastly the thread.

" **I'm… done"**

" _I see now. The mirror, pillars, and the pictures are all connected."_ Mewtwo calculated. _"The image of the lips reacted to laser of the lipstick. If that was intended then these pictures are not randomized. But merely organized for a search."_

"Search?" Wiped his chin on a napkin. "You mean those "Hidden Object" games that are stored in the mobile device section of the game room? Aw god I hate those things, just an excuse to suck your wallet dry."

The shooter did her best to ignore the comment. "If I adjust the lasers with my mirror to the correct image, that image will activate and produce its own laser at the prism?"

" _That's my hypothesis."_ Answered the Pokémon. _"If we combine all the colors together we will make normal light. What happens after that I do not know. I assume the exit would reveal itself to us."_

"That would make sense. This is a puzzle we need to solve." Sword agreed.

Gunner nodded. "Okay, if we're playing along, I'll go in order of the rainbow."

" _Try to think of the riddle. Don't blindly shine the laser at all the pictures. Be precise if you can."_

She nodded and pushed against the control stick. The girl walked back to the pumpkin pillar and pulled out the mirror. "Let's see… a small flame. It has to be an object related to fire or can produce fire." She eyed the wall, looking over the various symbols.

A star? Stars are made of fire but it really doesn't go well with the pumpkin. A hairdryer? Can produce heat, but not fire. A gun? Not even close, that's plain silly. A candle? Candles and pumpkins… they put a lit candle inside to make jack-o'-lanterns aren't they? She manipulate the orange laser to the object in question.

Like last time, the picture glowed in color and beamed another laser at the prism, now it was a mix of red and orange. Looking back at the pumpkin, she saw it was black and white. "Woah, I was correct. This is pretty cool actually."

"I got to say, I'm kind of jealous. Wished I had puzzles in my trial. Would have made things interesting." Sword said.

"I wouldn't." Replied Brawler. "I enjoyed the fighting in mine."

"Yeah, of course you do." The blonde rolled his eyes.

Mewtwo telepathically spoke up. _"Don't hold your breath Gunner, there are still more pillars for you to solve."_

"Yeah, got it. Sorry about that; was memorized for a moment." The shooter, more relaxed than ever, went over to the rubber ducky. What was written on it again? She examined the text. "Growing up? Okay what would be good for pairing up?"

Lollipop? Nah. Beach ball? No. Clown?! Uh, double no. Briefcase? That's associated with adult life. She moved the laser to the picture; nothing happened.

"Huh? That should be right. It asked for an object associated with growing up, and I found one. Why isn't it working?" Gunner complained.

Sword picked through the back of his mind on what would be best paired up with a rubber duck. Then he remembered that old fairy tale. "This may sound like I'm stretching. But when it means growing up, I think it meant it literally."

"Literally? Are you implying that-" The shooter stopped upon seeing a goose on the wall. Unlike the rest of the pictures here, it appeared to be the most professional work of art around here. The bird eyed her with kindness through the screen. For some reason, the Mii expected it to wink at her.

Gunner blinked a couple of times before her eyes widen. "I get it! A ducking growing up." She chuckled lightly. "This game has a fling for mental gymnastics. Good thinking Sword, I wouldn't have able to get that otherwise."

The girl beamed the laser at the goose, and the goose produced the colored light at the prism. Now it was red, orange, and yellow.

"Four more to go." Brawler was about to grab another beer but was disappointed in the taste. He looked at the ingredients. "Gluten-free beer? That's a thing, ew. Why would they bring this dog-piss into our sanctuary?"

"If you haven't keep drinking the normal beers like water, we might still have some around. Now you have to deal with the imitation. Drink up!" Sword sarcastically smiled.

"I rather drink actual water instead." Brawler pulled out a water bottle from the bag, he was going to unscrew the top, and then he saw the label. "Pineapple flavor? The hell! Are you trying to poison the entire mansion?!" The fist-fighter narrowed his eyes at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo rolled his eyes. _"We gather supplies indiscriminately. The food you see stocked up was either hunted, farmed, or bought with the short cash we have on hand."_

"You guys farm and hunt?" Sword was confused. "Shouldn't we be able to afford this food with ease. We are living in a mansion after all."

The psychic shook his head. _"Remember when we said that us Smashers had to build to his place from scratch? We weren't kidding."_

The blade wielder was taken aback. "Woah. You guys literally built everything here by hand?"

" _Yes. It was troublesome at first but we got creative and it worked out fine. In fact, I was one of the main designers for this place."_ Mewtwo answered.

Brawler sighed. _'We can do without the showing off, you know.'_

" _But there were still things that had to be regularly maintained. To answer your question, Swordfighter. Yes we do farm and hunt, but not to a large extent."_ The pale Pokémon sat on one of the beds, feeling tired on having to levitate for a majority of the day.

" _Sometimes, when we're in need of food. We sent a couple of Smashers to the nearby forest here to hunt the local wildlife and gather anything they find edible. Link and Ike usually volunteer for the job due to their experience in the wild. For farming, we are behind on that front. We have no livestock here. We do grow our own crops in the greenhouse. In fact, most of the fruit and vegetable you've been eating were hand grown by us."_

"Do cows and pigs not exist in the WOT then?" Gunner paused the game and turned to her friends.

" _Not at all. Cows, pig, sheep… animals that you would have considered livestock do exist in this realm. We have evidence to prove it. We just haven't been able to get our hands on any for a long time. We did managed to come across some chickens once, but then we found out they were hyrulean chickens. And then it got ugly."_ Mewtwo gawked at the memory, how can a simple chicken be so bloodthirsty. At least they got revenge using the deep fryer.

"Oh." Gunner nod awkwardly and went back to the screen.

" _But never mind… that incident. These two methods, while plentiful, is not enough to sustain the entire populace here. We resort to trading with certain communities in the WOT, though we do prefer to trade with Onett or Smashville specifically."_

"But they don't have consciousness. How can you trade with a person that's essentially brain-dead?" Brawler questioned.

" _They may be brain-dead. But they know how to establish a deal. Our trading revolves around selling them random materials and give us cash tom compensate. We use that cash to buy groceries. It's tedious but it's cheap and affordable."_

"Ugh." Brawler grabbed the bottle again and eyed it with disdain. "I got to pour this down the toilet when I'm done."

" _You will not throw away valuable resources around here. If you attempt to do so. I will stop you personally."_

"You think pineapple water is valuable? Now I'm starting to think you're the one that's brain-dead."

" _ **You are testing my patience.**_ _"_ The psychic's voice was deep. If it went any deeper, it would have sounded like a growl.

"Hey guys, I need help here." Gunner asked, defusing the tension in the air. "I finished the green and blue pillars. Turns out the sandal was connected to an island and the wallet to a wad of cash. But I'm having trouble with the flower one."

" _Let me see."_ Mewtwo float off the bed and went to the Mii's side. _"What is troubling you?"_

"I don't understand the riddle. It says everything used to be perfect and now it's not. I don't know which object would work."

" _Can you show me the wall?"_

"Sure."

The camera rotated to the pictures, now the Veteran had a clear view of the pictures. But which one is the "One". Tissue box. A toy hammer. A pint of ice cream. A red bicycle. A vase. His opened up slightly. _"There."_

"The vase?" The shooter eyed the object. "I can see why it's paired with the flower but what's that have to do with the riddle?"

" _Look at the mouth of the vase."_

Puzzled, Gunner focused her attention to the top at the image, and that's when she saw it. Flower, hanging of the rim of the vase. Completely dead.

"Oh!" Gunner mentally slapped herself. Then massaged her nose out self-pity. "A dead flower. Now they're switching back to metaphorical. That's… fantastic. Well at least the riddle is solved." She moved the laser to the vase. The image beamed a beautiful shade of indigo straight at the pyramid. One more to go.

"One left? Good. This headache is almost over." Brawler sighed.

The girl went over to the violet laser hovered her mirror under the light. "What's the last riddle for this one?" Sword asked.

"I believed it said: I'm done." The shooter repeated the phrase in her head, trying to comprehend the sentence. "I got nothing. Have about the rest of you."

"Nothing comes to mind." Sword said.

"Nada." Brawler popped his fingers.

" _This riddle is confusing even to me."_ Mewtwo replied.

"We're all stumped then? Seeing that this pillar is cryptic as hell, why not just fling the laser across the wall and see what happens."

"Brawler, I can't do that!" Gunner argued. "It's cheating."

"We're you punished for getting it wrong last time?"

"Nope, but-"

"Then you shouldn't have a problem. Like it or not, you're going in blind. It's better to blitzkrieg the whole thing than to waste several hours on a single question. What to you got to lose?"

A lot of time had passed since they came here. See payed attention to the pillar then to the pyramid. Then back to the pillar and finally the pyramid again. In defeat, she pressed the action button, making the girl point to laser to the wall. She moved the laser left and right, spirals, zigzags and still got nothing. _'This is going to take forever, maybe I shouldn't have taken Brawler's advice. I could have been more precise.'_ Suddenly a narrow band of purple pierced into the glass. Now all seven colors were here. They combined in nonsensical haze before morphing into pure white light. A section of marked wall rumble and creaked to viewers delight before raising up completely. A new dark passage had been revealed.

"Did we pass?" Said Sword.

"I think we did." Brawler nodded, thank god. The puzzle was annoying.

"That's great! We managed to beat this puzzle by putting our heads together. Never though teamwork would feel so rewarding." Gunner felt the blood ran to her cheeks, she felt so happy.

" _Don't put yourself Gunner, you did do all the work. Give yourself credit."_

"No it's fine, Mewtwo. I'm not putting myself down-" She froze. She finally looked at the image. The final image that was producing the violet light. The picture that was part of the final riddle, _was a noose._

"Gunner, why ya stop talking?" Brawler questioned.

"I don't feel comfortable in the room anymore."

"Right now? What-"

"I don't" Gunner shook lightly. "I just don't."

Uneasiness swarmed in Sword's gut, as much as he wanted to press, he brushed the concerns off to the side for now. "Well the door's opened. So can leave right now if you want."

Gunner in a heartbeat steered the analog stick upwards. Forcing the video game character to do a heel turn and jogged down the hallway.

"Good thing that puzzle was over, felt weird but I welcome it." Praised Sword. "So what do you see now?" He asked Gunner. The Mii didn't listen, she was in her own train of thought.

"Gunner?"

"Wha- oh, um… Just more corridors. It seems to be going in a straight direction this time. Don't see any doorways."

"Keep your eyes peeled. You don't know what surprises might come up yet." Gunner nodded understandably and played.

" _Brawler, I need a word with you."_ Mewtwo directed his telepathy specifically at the black-haired Mii. The shooter and blade wielder didn't hear it at all.

"Can it wait?" The fist-fighter didn't have the energy to deal with this, he still couldn't deal with the fact the he'd gotten used to the psychic's presence. What a world.

" _I would be best if we a discussion now, besides, I want to talk with you before the inebriation sets in."_ He pointed to the empty beer cans to the Newcomer's side.

Brawler sighed. "Fine, but only because I got nothing better to do." The Pokémon and Mii went several feet away from the Gunner's and Sword's hearing range; both of them maintained eye contact. Neither was blinking.

"What do you want to talk about? It better not be the alcohol again."

" _No, I'm not going to be the "moral police" when it comes to your favorite beverage."_ Peach can handle that. _"It's about your relationship with Gunner."_

The fist-fighter's attention was taken at that moment. "Why's that important. Ha. You think I'm in love with her?"

" _You can cut the act, Brawler. I know you've been deliberately pushing Gunner to her limit. Why?"_ Mewtwo demanded.

Brawler's changed from being smug to shock. "We were by ourselves. How did you-" He paused. His face contorted to anger. "You looked in Gunner's mind." The Newcomer folded his arms breaking eye contact with the speaker. "Makes sense. She always had a weak mind."

The Mii bit his tongue in contempt before speaking. "I'm no psychic. But I know what going on in that powerful brain of ours. You think I'm taking advantage of her, breaking her down to serve my needs. Right?"

" _I wanted to hear your story before I come up with a conclusion."_

"Optics be damned." He grunted. He would have snarled but he was plain tired right now. It wasn't worth it. "I understand I have a _nasty_ reputation around these wall. Some of these people believe that I'm a loose cannon and a scumbag in one, or that I'll betray the organization if I get the chance. Stupid pricks."

" _Is that so. We all go the impression that you hated living here."_ Mewtwo said.

"This isn't heaven. But it's certainly better than here. Besides, what good would ever come of throwing away the only home I ever had? But there's another reason…"

The Pokémon stayed silent. Being respectful of his opponent's explanation.

"When Lucario told me that the Smasher's were the "protectors of the Omniverse" I had trouble believing it. But I put the pieces together and that's when I got the picture." Brawler snapped his fingers. "This network of realities, the framework of existence, whatever you guys conceptualize it to be was once stabilize and could hold out by its own. But now it can't anymore. It requires this realm, requires us to keep it together. And that's a scary damn thought. You know why?"

Mewtwo stayed silent.

"Because any being, god, or eldritch abomination could enter our reality and do whatever they want with it. And their actions here would carry over to every reality. If a god controlled the WOT, they'll control everything. And if that same god destroyed the WOT… well you know what happens."

" _You haven't answered my question."_

"Hold on to your tail, I'm gonna." Brawler hushed, releasing his arms. "The Veterans here highly skilled and powerful, even the newbies have quite the bite to them. Every single one of them could probably keep their ground in a fight. _All except Gunner._ " There was much emphasis on her name. "Despite being here for a couple of months, her fighting prowess has stagnate. You are a witness to this; falling behind in training session, always hesitant to pull the first move. She went in the field once, and we all know how that turned out. She is without a doubt, the weakest link. I'm going to change that."

" _By?"_

"Pushing her to the limit. Sure she had her moments, but she only dented the barrier. I'm going to help her break it. I know she doesn't like or fully comprehend what I have planned for her. But I have her best interests at heart. 'Cause I know one day, she'd be put in a situation in which running away is not an option, in which if she may have to be forced to make it or break, but finds that's not possible because of… _insecurities._ "

" _That's not for you to decide. You should've have let us handle it-"_

"Oh Please!" Brawler gritted through clenched teeth. "You guys are living powerhouse but pretty lacking in the common sense department. After Gunner became a statue the infantilism went into full force, the treatment was unbearable. And just now are you coming to your senses. I don't trust your method in helping her out. She needs a guide not a parent." Mewtwo sensed a pocket of sympathy and love when the topic of Gunner came up. There's more to this story.

" _Is that the only reason?"_

"What?"

" _Is that the only reason to why you train her? Is there a personal reason."_

Brawler narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care. I thought you only care for people inside your group."

" _Group? The Super Smash Brothers is my group. You dare accuse me of negligence?"_

"Not the Smash Brothers. You're species." Brawler said. "I don't know your entire… character, but I gained plenty from the Veterans and the files. To tell you the truth, it sounds more like fiction then reality."

The Pokémon stayed silent.

"Born in a test tube; created by humans to be the ultimate weapon; killed your own creators; planned a violent revolution and stopped by the likes of a kid; and finally had a change of heart went away in isolation." The fist-fighter didn't show it, but he was feeling a sense of pride in showing detailing his opponent's history. "That's quite the story. I'm surprised you try to stray away from your true self."

The psychic leaned in. _"You got a problem with that?"_

"I got many problems with you; your life story, is not one of them." Brawler replied. "It's my turn to ask a question. Do hate humans with a burn passion?"

" _I hate the ones who created me; the humans that abuse Pokémon."_ Mewtwo answered. _"But for mankind as a whole; neutral."_

"Let me rephrase my question: Do you feel comfortable around humans."

" _I've work with Marth as well as the likes of Mario, Captain Falcon, and PT. What do you think?"_

"I'm not talking about work." Brawler deadpanned. "I see what your "free time" looks like. You either isolate yourself to whatever or have pleasant talks with the other Pokémon here."

" _You believe I'm intentionally avoiding being social with them?"_ Mewtwo shook his head in disapproval. _"Preposterous! I have spent time bonding with the humans. They can attest to that."_

"Yeah, _since last week._ " He folded his arms again. "I don't know what made you push yourself to get out of your zone but you're clearly uncomfortable with it. Why bother at all?"

" _You are confusing me with the original Mewtwo. I am separate entity from him."_ The Pokemon retorted.

"True, but a lot had carried over in the creation process hasn't it?" The fist-fighter inched closer to his rival, being mindful of personal space. "Separate; yes. Different; hell no. You two are practically carbon copies of each other, you have the same perspective."

" _He's a hermit, I'm one of WOT's protectors."_

"That's just trivial. You know how I see it?" Brawler dared to come closer, their face were only a foot apart. "You hide it well from the rest, but I can tell. You're lonely and upset at your existence. You try to find purpose in it all but you can't seem to grasp it, no matter how hard you try. Seeking out companionship is one of the end goals, but you can't connect to anyone here on a personal level. Even your fellow Pokémon don't truly have a full grasp of the full you. You've been feeling like this for quite a while, and you'll be feeling like this for a long, long time. If you the opportunity, you would go back to Pokemon Universe, get rid of the original to life out his life, and leave the rest of the team for selfish desires."

Mewtwo gripped his paw intensely, invisible telekinetic energy danced around his fingers. Then he dipped his head down. It sounded so pathetic, so cowardly for him to do. He didn't want to accept it, but perhaps deep down, there was a part of him that wanted that.

"You're miserable, and you going to have to deal with that. Now if you excuse me, I'm going back to my spot-"

" _So are you."_

"What?"

The psychic raised his head. _"You too are miserable, like me. Your amnesia makes it impossible to decipher your backstory. But I do know for a fact that you're suffering under psychological trauma."_

"How can I have experienced trauma if I don't even remember it?"

" _One does not to be aware of their past to be broken, the subconscious can be molded by events remembered as well as forgotten."_ He explained. _"Do you know Lucario shared his views on you when we had the vote?"_

The fist-fighter was aghast. "He was talking crap behind my back."

" _No."_ Mewtwo answered. _"Not at all. He said, to all of us, that he was concern about you potentially becoming unstable."_

"Unstable?" the fist-fighter was personally offended. "Do I look like I'm going to scream gibberish and paint the walls with my own feces?"

" _Unstable as in a slowly encroaching mental breakdown. At first I was confused at how he came to the notion, but now I understand."_ It was the psychic's turn to get closer, he floated until he was about of foot from the Mii. _"The excessive drinking, the twitching eye, the unrelenting rage. You are angry at the world; being hateful of everything you lay your eyes on. You can't stand living, but you don't want to die even if you wanted do. No, that's the coward's way out. To compensate for you pain, you attempt to let it out: glaring at the people you disdain behind their back, beating the stuffing out of the punching bags, drowning yourself in the bottle. You had great control before but now it's starting to slip. You try to hide this great pain, but that's not feasible with people like Lucario and I. You desire the world to burn. It may only be a small part of yourself that truly wants that, but it growing. Every. Single. Day. The thought of wishing for something so heinous, you try to brush it away but it always comes back. You are not the only who knows suffering."_

Brawler was speechless, he didn't expect a psych profile from his "enemy". Does he care or is he taunting? He opened up his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"Brawler. Mewtwo? Can you come over here now?" Gunner asked from the far corner of the room. "It's kind of… important."

The fist-fighter gave the Veteran as cautious glare before turning to the shooter, he had to change the subject. "Important how?"

"She came into a new hallway and the mirrors are looked twisted." Butted in Sword. "It's very creepy actually."

Brawler and Mewtwo came to the game area to view the screen. The girl was silent walking through a new corridor. The mirrors here were in terrible condition compared to earlier, the glass was either full of cracks or the reflection was distorted to great lengths. "Fun house mirrors? God, another reason why I hate these mazes." Muttered the black-haired Mii.

" _This is a set-up for something greater, be on your guard."_ Mewtwo ordered.

Gunner gulped. "Should I press forward?"

"Unless you want to get mauled by blood-thirsty mascots, then yeah. Press forward."

Sword face contorted in disgust. "Brawler do you have to phrase it like-"

"Don't." Brawler held up a finger. "I'm not in the mood."

"Um… There's something wrong here." Gunner said, her nerves flaring up again. "My character won't move and is looking at one of the walls."

"It must be another cutscene. What on Earth is going on?" Sword questioned.

The girl looked at her right-hand side; her reflection in one of the mirrors seems off. Did it just twitch? No it can't be… that's impossible. Then yet again, she has seen a lot of impossible things already. Maybe it's broken?

The character took a couple steps to the mirror and gazed at the glass. Her hand was approaching the wall when her reflection raised its head on its own accord. The gasped and backed away slowly. Her twisted reflection exited the mirror like it was an open doorway, it stumbled a couple of times before walking in a limp. Its short legs provided little ground as it extended a outstretch hand to the girl.

The girl tried to turn around by screamed in horror upon seeing the hallway she just traveled through was now filled with monsters in animal costumes. They were riled up when they saw her eyes, they wanted meat.

"How did they get in here?!" Shouted Gunner.

"I don't know, they must have busted the lock or something. Persistent bastards."

"Aw, I don't want to be eaten! No!" Gunner tapped buttons on the controller. The girl with no other choice left, did a U-turn, running straight to the reflection monster. The twisted monster representing her attempted to grab her with its long arms, but thanks to Gunner's quick reflection her character was able to duck below the hold and kept sprinting.

"There's more of them?!" Brawler said. The mirrors that weren't broken contained a variation of her reflection; twisted, deformed, and demented. They were trying to breach to the other side; fortunately all of them were having trouble phasing past the glass, only a couple managed to get their arms through. However the barrier holding them in place can last for so long. At the end of the hall led to a corner, there was no telling if it would go to the exit or a dead end.

Her hands went frigid for a moment, then she regain her composure. _'I can't freeze up, I have to escape or everything I have done would have been meaningless!'_ The girl hurried past the demonic mirrors and turned the corner, three twisted reflections crowded the hall. She knew that it would be a tight squeeze but it wasn't impossible to slip through.

The first monster almost tripped over its left foot before it lunged full-heartedly. The girl barely escaped the attack, the monster face-planted over the rug, blood pouring from its broken face.

The second monster winded up its arm and threw a hefty punch, missing the girl's head by a hair, literally. The deformed appendage was embedded into a cracked mirror; the creature screeched as it tried to pull the arm away from the glass cutting deep into the flesh.

The last monster was slower than the others, its legs were short and stumpy, making it difficult to maneuver. Thinking she would have an easy time, Gunner prompted the girl to go forward, but was surprised to the see her character being held in place by something.

Looking at her feet, she saw a hidden fourth monster laying on the ground; both legs were bent and broken, but the arms were in working condition. The creature grabbed the girl's left leg with a single arm, hoping to shed some blood.

"Where'd it come from?!" Exclaimed Sword.

"It must have been hidden from view of the camera. Damn." Brawler moaned. The third monster became delighted in the girl's peril and pushed even harder to get closer to the girl. Once in range, it raised both hands in the air- finger tips sharp and ready.

" _Quickly tap the action button, it'll free you!"_ Mewtwo feverishly warned. Gunner tried to follow but it was too late. The arms hag swung down on her, fresh red claw marks had appeared on the girl's shoulder and back. The character screamed in pain as her brain registered the pain. If her body wasn't on adrenaline, she would have passed out.

Gunner yelped and tapped even harder. My some miracle, the girl successfully pried her foot from the monster. Now free, she resuming running, ignoring the pain burn in her flesh. Turning another corner she saw another long hallway, but this time the mirrors weren't broken and held an instance of the twisted reflection. Most if not all of them had their hand phased through the glass. The appendages twitched and grasped at the air like mindless animals. Then yet again, animals only hunt other animals for food, these things do it solely for pleasure.

The girl turned her head back, the free reflections and the mascots had grouped together and were closing into her position. Staying still would be a death sentence.

"I'm trapped." Gunner said. "Both ways are blocked."

" _Not quite, you can still go forward."_ Mewtwo replied.

"You mean the one of the hands? I'll get grabbed if I do!"

" _Not if you stay towards the center."_ Mewtwo explained. _"They might touch you, but the chances of getting grabbed would significantly decrease. It's better than nothing. If you don't, you will certainly die by the hands of these monsters."_

"Oh god, this is too much." Gunner sputtered. This maze was so peaceful, how could it have gone undone in just a few moments.

"Gunner!" Brawler barked. "For the last time, do not let your fear beat you to submission! Now go and show these freaks whose boss or I swear I'm going to tear my hair out."

"Okay. You're right." Gunner tried to compose herself and focus. "At the count of three I'll go. One… Two… screw it, three!"

The girl went down through the passage in haste. The hands saw a new target and aim their deadly attentions at her. A majority of the hands were too slow to touch her but a small few managed to gain a hold of the girl. She broke through the hold easily, but not unscathed. Parts of her clothes were either torn, ripped, or outright removed at various parts of her body. Even sections of her hair had been plucked by the greedy fingers.

Once out of sight of the hands, the girl allowed herself to take a breather. When she finished, the character went to the end of the corridor. She hoped to see an exit but it was what she feared:

The door on the right wall had been board shut with planks and nails; a chipped wooden hammer rested near the foot of the door, it looked to be a recent hack job. The only thing her was a massive brand new mirror blocking the path. It was a dead end.

"It's a trap!" Gunner yelped. She rotated the camera view around; the monsters had just turned the corner, and was now treading through the hallway of hands. "I'm going to be killed, oh my god."

"This can't be the end!" The path led us here for a reason. There's got to be something we can do!" Bargained Sword.

" _Maybe we can."_ Mewtwo said. _"Gunner, grab that hammer on the floor."_

"…Okay." The girl quickly picked up the hammer, she was squeezing it for dear life. "Who am I kidding, this is not going to work. My hammer wouldn't be enough to take all of them."

" _Whose says we're going to fight?"_

"Huh."

" _The door."_ Gunner looked at the planks of wood being fastened in place with the nail, then she looked at her hammer, finally a lightbulb was turned on. "I see… good idea."

The girl slid the claw onto one of the metal head and pulled, after several tries Gunner stopped. "They're stuck. I can't get it out." Is this the end? Was the one ray of shine being snuffed out due to cruel circumstance? Gunner then eyed the mirror; maybe not.

"Glass and brute force, of course." Gunner made the girl go over to the mirror, her footsteps cried of purpose.

"What are you doing now?" Brawler asked.

"I think I found the other exit." The girl raised her arm up high, the hammer seemed to glisten as it swooped down. But then, a hand phased through the surface of the mirror, grabbing her armed hand. The image of a twisted reflection became visible now, it gave a twisted smile as it tried to pull her into its domain.

"It was hiding?" Sword questioned. "These monsters must be smarter than I thought."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Brawler commented. "Don't let this freak drag you down, Gunner. Show who's the boss."

By evident of the footsteps and the snarling getting louder, Gunner guessed that the savages were getting closer. She didn't like the idea of fighting, but if it meant earning her freedom…

The girl used her free hand grab the hammer and raised it upwards again.

…then so be it.

The hammer's face went in contact with the monster's face. A giant crack was now shown on the glass. After a mere second later, the crack grew and grew until it encompassed the entire mirror. It wobbled a bit before it shattered into a thousand pieces. Tiny shards of glass pilled on the ground, the reflection that grabbed her earlier was not where to be found.

"Yeah, that what you deserve you son of a bitch." Brawler smugly mocked.

Gunner ran down into more darkness until she came into another area. "A river?" The blade-wielder questioned.

"No, a canal." Brawler corrected. The room was a long underground tunnel of sorts. Instead of mirrors, the wall were constructed from stone bricks; which had been heavily damaged from corrosion and lack of maintenance; A man-made stream of flowing water replaced the entire floor, the direction of the tide proved that it was going somewhere to the east; lastly several rows of pink lightbulbs hung from the ceiling, most were in working condition but a few were flicking or broken. Strange room to put in a maze.

"After all this, we came across another dead end?" Gunner was on the verge of tears, she worked so hard to die without meaning. It was so unfair.

"We could swim." Suggested Sword. "The girl will be wet but we can escape here without getting our faces bitten off."

"The water looks very deep." Brawler observed. "And I don't like the way it's colored. I think that's a bad idea."

"I know, but we don't have a choice." The blonde Mii pleaded. "Our life is on the line here."

" _Not so fast."_ Mewtwo interrupted, pointing to the left-hand side of the screen. _"I believe another option had now just presented itself."_

A magenta boat in the shape of a heart slowly drifted to the edge of the dock. When it was in perfect reaching distance of the girl, it stopped completely, ignoring the flow of the canal all together.

"A heart? This must be the "tunnel of love" as they call it." Sword broke the silence. "Make sense, this is an amusement park."

By damned curiosity, the girl turned around to see where the monsters were. They were only behind her by several feet. Seeing time running out, Gunner prompted the girl to jump into the boat.

The romantic vehicle began to obey the water again, it and the protagonist began traveling down the stream. The girl gave one last look to the monsters she was abandoning, they were gathering on the very edge of the dock. They quit their snarling and scream; those dead eyes were staring at her, depressed at the fact they missed their opportunity to kill. Realizing that they lost, they stumbled back into the doorway and disappeared from view all together.

"You did it." Sword cheered. "You got out in one piece."

"I wouldn't say in one piece." Brawler said, taking the note of the damage to the girl's clothes and hair. "But hey, being alive is better than being dead."

" _I see that you're strained, Gunner."_ Mewtwo said. _"Rest your muscles, you're only going to make yourself more tired if you don't."_

Gunner nodded. She lowered her shoulder and took a breath, but refused to but her guard down. She became wary of the dark abyss in front of her. Gunner tried to distract herself from the truth but she knew that fooling herself was only going to make it worse. The shooter may have escape the deadly creatures, but she was still trapped in death's domain.


	59. Chapter 59: Eye-Popping Suprise

**Chapter 59: Eye-Popping Surprise**

The group one by one climbed out of the hole; they had the dissatisfaction of dust clinging to their persons but it was an afterthought. "…? Look Around. The leaves are gone." Snake said. Unlike from what they saw on the boat earlier, these trees were void of any leaves or greenery of any sort. The bark was all that remained, and even then it was in no better shape than the branches. It was like winter had come and never ended, except there was no snow. The Smashers were surrounded by the dead trees; the only clearing available was a large circle of space stemming from the exit of the caverns.

"No leaves?" Pondered Ike. "There was no mention of that when we had a bird's eye view of the forest."

"*Beep boop beep beep beep?*" (Are we somewhere else entirely?) Mr. Game and Watch asked.

"We fell pretty deep but we only went a short distance, laterally speaking. We never left the forest." Snake answered. "Something happened, and whatever it was, it was recent."

" _Can we call R.O.B., please?"_ Lucario broke the silence. _"They need to know we're okay."_

"Right. No point to keep them waiting." Snake took the communicator in hand and pressed the button, after several seconds, a surprised robot voice boomed over the speaker. _"[It's on? Smash Team Alpha do you receive me, I repeat, Smash Team Alpha do you receive me!?]"_

"Yes, we're receiving." The Hylian said.

" _[Toon Link, thank god!]"_ Sounds of shuffling was heard _. "[Meta-Knight! I reaffirmed contact with them. Wait- hold on.]"_ More shuffling. _"[Hey buddy. Is your team with you or are you all alone?]"_

Snake appreciated R.O.B. for who he was, even after the near extinction of his race he still manage to hold onto his sense of compassion. "All of us are accounted for R.O.B."

" _It's good you haven't lost your head, friend."_ Meta-Knight popped up alongside on the radio with the robot. _"What on Earth happened down there? You went silent after you found the Newcomer; we thought the worst occurred."_

" _It capsized."_ Lucario groaned. Not wanting to relive those sour memories.

" _[What capsized? You mean the boat?]"_ R.O.B. questioned.

" _The river wasn't clear as we believed, our vehicle hit some rocks and we fell into the water."_ The jackal replied unhappily. _"Then we got lost in a cave but now we're back to the surface. And in case you're wondering, yes we lost the Newcomer."_

" _That's most unfortunate. So there's no trail for the Newcomer's whereabouts?"_ Meta-Knight asked.

Pokémon Trainer looked at the ground; more footprints were found coming out of the hole and onto a clear path heading further into the least dense section of the woods. "Actually, we got it's footprints. We can still track it, and with Lucario's senses we should have an easier time finding the Newcomer than before."

" _[That's Great News.]"_ Replied R.O.B. _"[Since the leaves are gone, Meta-Knight should have an easier time spotting you. If one of could get on top of a tree-]"_

" _Sorry R.O.B., out of the question."_ Lucario interrupted. _"I cannot stand and wait for a pick up when the Newcomer could be in the danger. Any action other than searching is plain irresponsible."_

"I agree with the jackal." Voiced Ike. "This island is unpredictable, it would be unwise to wait any longer."

"Hey R.O.B., you said that the "leaves are gone"." Toon asked. "Does that mean the trees are now… bare?"

" _[Oh sorry, I was exaggerating.]"_ The robot apologized. _"[I meant to say the leaves are going away. There are still patches of trees with leaves but there are more trees without them.]"_

" _It occurred five minutes ago."_ Meta-Knight explained. _"Happened in random spots in the forest but it's spreading. I see the greenery falling off of the bark as I speak."_

" _Which gives us another reason to continue the mission. Something is causing the environment to go haywire and I'm betting its worse for wear." Answered the aura canine._

"*Beep beep boop boop, Beep boop beep boop.*" (Guess that settles it, we follow the trail.) Mr. Game and Watch announced.

" _If you're going without aerial support then keep me us on the line."_ R.O.B. ordered. _"I don't want the risk of being cut off again."_

"Ok. I'll attach the communicator to my belt and leave it on." Snake said.

" _I'll keep my eye out for your team through the branches. If I spot you, I'll try to keep my line of sight on the scene."_ Meta-Knight replied.

" _Got it."_ Lucario closed his eye, activating his aura vision. _"Let's cease our dilly-dallying and hit the road."_

* * *

The group followed the trail, ignoring their need for hunger and rest. Lucario was the most affected but nonetheless walked with impatience. The footprints ended at a section of the path where the trees haven't yet lost it's leaves. The dirt ground was oddly wet, it had been turned to mud with the added moisture but there was no water source nearby. The group looked around; there were no more prints nearby.

" _What?"_ The Pokémon opened his eyes, staring at the ground with disbelief. _"After everything we have been through… we… We've been screwed over again!"_ Lucario gripped his paw in frustration; this was at the breaking point.

" _[Whoa, what do you mean you've been screwed?]"_ R.O.B. asked.

" _The trail ends here and there's Newcomer."_

" _The trail couldn't just end abruptly."_

" _I'm telling you R.O.B., it ends here."_ Lucario knelt down dipping his finger into the mushy dirt and inspecting it. _"Nothing else here but a puddle of mud."_

"It doesn't make any sense." PT Commented. "Where did the water come from? There are no rivers or ponds around here."

"*Beep beep beep booop beep boop boop beep beep?*" (Maybe a mysterious rain cloud came out of nowhere?) Mr. Game & Watch suggested.

" _Knowing how cuckoo this place is I wouldn't be surprised."_ Grunted the canine.

Ike came forward dipped the tip of his sword into the mud. "Maybe the Newcomer generated the water. When I tried to rescue it the first time, I noticed it looked like a frog. Perhaps it correlates."

"But frogs can't produce water. It's in their biology. " Snake said.

"Who said this was an ordinary frog?"

Snake was thrown off by the mercenary's statement. The communicator crackled soon after. _"What do you mean, Ike?"_ Meta-Knight questioned.

"It was blue and had a pink scarf. No normal frog has that obviously. I'm going off of a limb here, but I think we're possibly dealing with a Pokémon."

Toon Link shook his head. "Not all non-human Newcomers come from the Pokémon world, Ike."

"True, but the appearance of that frog looked very peculiar. It didn't look like something you find Samus's or Link's worlds. Considering how many diverse Pokémon exist, it wouldn't be too crazy to assume it. Hey Trainer? Do any frog-like Pokémon exist in your world?"

The human nodded. "Yes, we have some actually. A couple that comes to mind is Toxicroak and Croagunk. But… I don't know, I didn't get a good look at it.".

" _Arceus, enough with the water."_ Lucario stood up. _"We don't need to figure out why the ground is wet. We need to figure out where the Newcomer is right now."_

"Lucario. Are nothing left for us to go on."

" _There has to be Snake."_ The jackal argued. _"No one can just disappear out of thin air!"_

Ike heard dripping to his right. He turned his head to see droplets of water dribbling off of a single branch. "Maybe no one ever left." Lucario tilted his head at the mercenary, and then the branch as well. Curious he closed his eyes to view the tree line. Without warning, a watery projectile zoomed out from the leaves and hit the blue Veteran in the snout. He flew into the nearest tree and slumped to the ground. A large branch fell from the bark and pinned the canine legs.

"*Beep boop beep!*" (What the what!?) The 2D man blurted. A figured leapt from the tree and landed on the ground. The assailant pulled back and kicked the Veteran in the chest, knocking him to the side. Snake reached for his gun holster by instinct, but the attacker grabbed him by the hand and his suit. It delivered a knee to the gut before tossing him to the group.

" _[What's going on out there?!]"_ R.O.B.'s voice crackled through the communicator.

Ike gripped his sword tightly in both hands; he was going to shift his body to offensive stance until he got a good look of the creature. It was the same Newcomer he tried to save back at the waterfall; now he got a better look at who they were supposed to rescuing.

It had the distinctive shade of blue but there were more features he missed: The chest region was a shade of yellow that complemented the rest of the skin; both feet and hands were webbed, fitting the traits of a frog; The ears were elongated and grey bubble-like bumps were attached to joints of the elbows and knees; but the strangest thing was that it turns out that the "scarf" wasn't a scarf at all; judging on how the pink object came out of the Smasher's mouth it had to be a tongue. Who in their right mind uses their tongue as an article of clothing? Never mind that, the question can be solved later.

The frog formed two kunais made of water, it let out a threatening "Gree." As it pointed the bladed weapons in the group's direction. The frog didn't attack, it simply stood still. Toon Link was going to charge forward but Ike tugged on the kid's shoulder. "No! That's the Newcomer." He hushed.

The Hylian talked. "Why is it attacking us then?"

"It must think we're the enemy."

"But we're not."

"Yes, but the frog doesn't know that." Answered the mercenary. The harshest part of these types of missions is convincing each Newcomer that they're here to help. Most of the time, the Newcomer is easily trusting and not particularly violent. But there was the occasional conflict; The Newcomer attacks them in a blind panic, the person they're trying to save do not trust them one bit. Stuff like this is rare but it does happen. Hopefully the situation was salvageable. "It's confused."

" _Did I hear that correctly? You found the target and it's hostile?"_ Meta-Knight repeated over the com.

Snake turned down the volume and spoke in the transceiver. "Without a doubt. It's holding back its strength too." The soldier observed. "Try not to talk through the com. I don't want to spook it."

The robot gave a digitized sigh. _"[Alright… but I'm leaving this thing on so we can listen. Be on your guard.]"_ He said before silence came.

The Pokémon Trainer looked at the frog wearily while Ivysaur eyed the Newcomer with contempt for harming his friends. "It's not attacking, perhaps it's judging us?"

"Probably. We should do the same; let's try to show him that we're the good guys." Ike replied. "If worse comes to worse, we'll defend ourselves by dodging and blocking. No fighting."

"I can adapt to that." Snake said as he helped Mr. Game & Watch to his feet.

"If that's how we're going to go about this then I'm returning Ivysaur to his ball." The plant-type Pokémon looked at PT as if he was banging his head on the wall for fun, the creature shook his head from side to side. "I know how you feel buddy, but this is a sign of good faith. We have to be the good guys here."

The frog turned his head to the human to see what he was preaching. Then it saw the lone Pokéball in his hand. He raised his arm to return the Pokémon to the device but the amphibian misinterpreted as an attempt to capture the Newcomer.

The frog narrowed his eyes and threw a water shuriken at the human's hand, knocking the Pokéball from the hand, and then followed up by teleporting in front of PT in a puff of smoke.

The trainer gasped as the creature placed a webbed hand on his face and pinned him to the ground. "Gre nin ninja." It said menacingly.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Toon Link lined up his hookshot and fired the chain at the attacker, hoping to pull him of his friend. The frog generated a water kunai and used it slap the clawed chain away. "Greninja! Ninja jag re-" The Newcomer didn't finish as a Razor Leaf slashed his chin, flinging him to the ground.

"Ivysaur! What on earth are you doing?!" Ike roared. "We're not supposed to attack the Newcomer!" Ivysaur wrapped his vines around his trainer and pull him to the plant-type's side. "Ivysaur! Ivy saur saur ivysaur!" It attacked his papa, what didn't know what else to do!

The frog got back up to caress his chin, to his surprise, there was no injury to be found. "Greninja?" He shouldn't gone away unscathed, a sharp object like that would at least left a mark. But there was nothing. How…

The Newcomer train of thought was disrupted when he saw Mr. Game & Watch standing close by. In haste, he created another water shuriken at the Veteran. To his shock, the flat man created a force field around his body, blocking the attack all together.

The amphibian had trouble processing what he witnessed. What was this thin black entity? It wasn't anything he ever saw before; it didn't look like a Pokémon either. But that energy bubble… How did it manage to generate such a force? Wait… is that thing completely 2D?

With the frog caught off guard, Snake successfully sneaked behind the Newcomer and put the creature in a hold.

"Grenin gre ninja!" It growled as he struggled against the soldier's arms.

"Let's not do anything drastic here. We just want to talk." Snake said. The solider squeezed hard in hopes of fully restraining the Smasher. A puff of smoke clouded his vision, after the gas dissipated, he saw now that he was hugging a small log. "The hell?" Wondered Snake as a webbed foot kicked him in the back of the head.

Lucario groaned as he pushed the heavy branch off of him, after which he used the tree as leverage to pull himself up. _'It's official. Today's not my day.'_ The canine thought, his vision still dazed. _'Now what hit me? Was it another monster of this forest? If that's the case I-'_ He stopped when he saw his team distancing himself from the frog. It took a few blinks to register the animal, but he knew what it was.

It was a Greninja. He encountered it only once in a battle in his past but he remembered the Pokémon well. This had to be the frog Ike was talking about, the Newcomer. Lucario didn't understand how the situation exploded so quickly. But he had to defuse it.

The blue canine used Extreme Speed to land between his team and the frog. He raised both paws at opposite sides and for the first time in year, spoke in Pokémon. ""Lucario lu cario ro, Luca ri l ulu rio. Lucario lu. (Enough of this quarrel, there's no need for violence. We're here to help.)

The Greninja huffed in disbelief. "Gren ninja nin, gre gre ren ninja ninja." It was asking what game it was playing. Why go through so much trouble to hunt to play peacekeeper.

"Lu?" (Hunt?) Lucario tiled his head in confusion. "Ar Luca rio, lu car car lucario io." (I assure you, we're not here to hurt anybody.)

The Newcomer then pointed at the Ivysaur. "Greninja. Nin ja ja, greninja ja gre." The Pokemon tried to contradict his statement in saying that the trainer's partner threw a Razor Leaf at his face.

The jackal looked back at the plant-type. "Ri Lu?" (That true?) The Ivysaur hung his head down in guilt. Lucario sighed and turned back to the frog. "Lucario lu car, rio ri o " (Sorry about that. I'm sure he was didn't mean it and is very ashamed over his actions.)

The jackal gave Ivysaur the evil eye, directing a telepathic response to him alone. _"Apologize."_ He said sternly. Ivysaur straightened up and bowed his head. "Ivy." (Sorry.) Greninja raised an eyelid. This had to be the strangest group he ever had to deal with.

The rest of the fighters were lost in the conversation. Since Lucario relied on telepathy for communication, the mansion never adapted to understand his native language. Same went for the frog too. They did get bits and pieces from Ivysaur but it wasn't enough.

Ike cleared his throat. "Lucario, what's going on?"

Lucario didn't even bat an eye, instead he opened up the mental channels to speak to his team. _"Turns out you were right, Ike. The Newcomer is a Pokémon, it's called a Greninja; they are found in a region called Kalos in my world."_

' _Greninja.'_ PT thought to himself. That's right… how could he forget. Greninja evolved from the water starter of the Kalos region. He had to recall that knowledge from the internet rather than his experience from Kanto. That's why it took so long to register. Still, there was a question roaming in his mind. "Why did it attack?" The human said to himself.

" _It thinks we're trying to hunt it down."_ Lucario answered. _"I'm going to try to convince it that we mean him no harm. Let me handle this."_ The jackal positioned himself to the frog and changed the subject. "Lu car I ari, Luca rio rio lucar lu lu?" (Can I ask you something, do you know where you are?)

"Gre. Gre nin ja gre re?" (No. Is this even Kalos anymore?)

Lucario shook his head. "Lu cari ri ri lu, Luc a lucari. Lucario l ulu car car I. Cario, lu, lucar cari rio luc uca cari l lu cari rio. Lucario luc rio lu-" (We're not in Kalos, or in any of the regions. We're not even on Earth anymore. You, I, and everyone here are living in a separate realm entirely. I know it sounds crazy-)

"Gre ninja. Ninja nin ja gre." (You're right. That does sound crazy.) Dismissed the Greninja. "Gre ninja nin ja ja, gr re greninja ja nin." (If I didn't know any better, I thought you were rabbid.)

"What's it saying now?" Toon said.

" _I think it still believes it's living in Kalos."_ The jackal explained. _"I need to find a way to change his mind, any ideas?"_

Snake focused his thoughts at his friend. _"This forest is somewhat abnormal. If you pointed it out, you might be able to shift his perspective."_

" _Yeah… that might work."_ Lucario thought of the possible phenomena he witness during the mission and formulated his sentence. "Lu car luc rio ri? Lucar lu car ri o o luc rio l lu u lucario. Ri rio luca car lu ri lu lucario lu ca car ri i?" (Are you sure about that? This forest is out of place for Kalos or the Pokémon world in general. Have you seen any Pokémon or humans before you met up with us?)

The webbed hands wielding the kunai lowered down slightly. "Gr re. Gre nin ninja ja a gre." (I haven't. But I did see some strange creatures.)

"Lu car ri lu ca rio lu car lucario lu ca ri luca?" (Did these creatures look like butterflies and eels but made out of crystal?)

The frog piped up his head in interest. "Gre ninja ja?" (You encountered them?)

"Lu. Lucario." (Yes. Unfortunately.) The jackal rubbed his head in annoyance. "Lu car ri o, Li ca ri ri lucario io?" (After that into account, do you still think I'm crazy?)

The water-type studies the canine's face. "Gre nin ninja a gr ja. Grenjia ren nij jia gre gre." (Well you're certainly not a lair. Maybe there is something else going on.) He turned raised his weapons in correct position. "Ninja. Gre nin ninja gre ja ja gre gree." (Still. That doesn't give me the excuse to trust you.)

"Lu cari cario ri rio luca lucario. Lu lu rio." (We are not here to capture you by force. None of us are.) Greninja took a glance to PT then back to Lucario. "Lu, cario rio lu, lucario lucario rio lu luc luca rio." (Okay, we have one trainer, but he doesn't capture Pokémon anymore.)

Ivysaur took a step forward and spoke. "I ivy ivysaur saur?" (Do you hate humans?)

The Greninja perked his ear. "Gre ja?" (Pardon me?)

"I ivy ivysaur saur? Ivy sa ur ivy ivy ivvvy sa ivysaur. Ivysaur i i ivysaur." (Do you hate humans? You attacked my partner when he was about to return me. What you did was unnecessary.)

"Gre nin ja gre reee ninja greninja nin ja." (From what I saw he was trying to throw the ball at me.)

"Ivy iv ivysaur sa saur!" (But he wasn't going too!) Ivysaur retorted.

The Greninja sighed. "Gre ninja ja a gre, gre ninja ja nin ja greee ninnn. Ja ja greninja gre. Greninja ja gr gree. Nin, ja grenina ja gree gre nin ja." (If that was the case, I give my fullest apology to your trainer. And to answer your question. I don't hate humans at all. Heck, I think some of them are pretty good people.)

"Lu cari rio rio o Lucario?" (Then what's with the hositilty?) The jackal asked.

"Gr Gre nin ni nin ja, ja a grenina gre greeee nin nin ninja ni ja greninja." (It's hard to tell who's your friend, or just a fiend trying to lure you in a false sense of security so they can snatch you.) He answered. "Gre nin nija ni gree?" (Now can I ask you a question?)

"Lu car!" (Of course!) Lucario nodded.

"Gre nin ninja gre? Greninja gre ni ni jia jia ja greninja, gre nin ja ja greninja greee ninn jaa." (Why are you following me? Ever since I noticed your group's presence, you people have been over my tracks like a dog.) "Gre nin ja ja, greninja ja ja?" (If it's not hunting, then what is it?)

The aura master cleared his thoughts and tried to concentrate. He needs to make his presentation right or otherwise they risk losing a Smasher for the first time in years. When he was ready, he let his tongue to the work. "Lu luca, lu rio cario luca ri rio o. Lucario lu car ri, lu cario lucar lu i o lucari lucario." (Back home, we noticed someone had appeared in this very forest. After confirming the evidence, we went over to rescue whoever was stranded in the area.)

"Gre nin ninja ja. Gre nin nin ja ren ren re grenina ja." (How kind of you. But I'm not the damsel in distress type.) The amphibian huffed.

"Lu car ri ri. Luc ri rio l. Ri o lu luca car ri ri rio lucario lu car luc. Lucario lu car ri ri oooo, ri lu lu lucario." (I'm not saying you are. I'm saying this world contains many dangers both known and unknown. It'll be a challenge to survive in the forest, much less the world.)

"Iv sa ivysaur ivy sa sa saur aur ar ivy ivysaur saur r ivy ivysaur iv a ivy sau ur ivysaur." (Not to mention it'll be hard navigating through a random place you just woke up in.) Ivysaur added.

"Gre nin ja greninja ren?" (How did you know that?) The Pokémon demanded.

The rest of the Smashers were getting uneasy to where the conversation was being taken. PT tried to get Lucario's attention. "Is everything alright? The Greninja's starting to get angry."

The canine wanted to answer but he couldn't, not when trust was on the line. "Lucario lu cari lu rio." (Because it happened to us too.) He had to be honest, it was the only way forward.

Lucario then decided to switch to telepathy. _"Like you. We all woken in this impossible world, lost to our own sense of reality. But then we found each other and then formed sanctuary. All of us here and back home are dedicated to help people like us. Not by force but through trust and bond. I'll say it one last time, we are not here to capture Pokémon. In fact we have some working with us: Starters, a couple of electric-types, we even got a legendary on our side."_

The frog nearly dropped his weapons out of pure surprise. This has to be a joke. Right? "Gre ninja?" (Which legendary?).

" _He is not very well known, but if you really know, his name is Mewtwo."_

The water-type discontinued his stance and looked at the steel-type dumbfounded. Judging by the reaction, the jackal guessed he did knew of the psychic beforehand. It was strange, the original Mewtwo suppressed knowledge about his existence to a tee. Maybe he had some friends they didn't know about.

The frog dematerialized his kunai and stood straight. He was still wary of their presence but at least he seemed friendlier. "Ren re gre gree greninja ni. Gre nin ja ja gree rennn re ja. Greninja reni ninja gre." (If what you're saying is true. Then I shall agree to this social contact. I need to witness this for myself.)

The jackal smiled. _"Glad to hear it. We got people in the sky, all that needs to be done is-"_

"Gree." (But.) The Newcomer raised a finger. "Gre ni nin re ren gren greninja, ri ninja nin ja ja greninja greeee ja." (If I get a whiff that you're up to something, the deal will end and you'll never see me again.)

Lucario nodded. _"I understand."_

"Did it go well?" Toon questioned.

The blue Veteran turned around. _"He's on board. But he says he'll leave if we're up to no good."_

"Won't even be a problem." Snake adjusted the volume on the communicator. "You caught that?"

" _[The entire conversation.]"_ R.O.B. answered. _"[For a second, I braced for the worst.]"_

"You worry too much."

" _[And you not enough.]"_

"*Beep boop beep boop boop boop beep boop, beep boop beep boop?*" (Since we got what we came for, what's the extraction plan?)

" _That's tricky."_ Meta-Knight pondered. _"I surmise if one of you climb to the top of the tree line and get our attention, I can lowered down and arrange the pick-up."_

"I haven't climbed a tree since I was seven, but I'll bite." PT joked. "How do we get your attention exactly?"

" _I'll put you team in charge of that one."_

"Well in that case, we could use Charizard. Since he can fly, it'll be so much easier-"

" **GRAAWWAAAHHHHH!** " A loud scream shriek through the forest. The leaves on all the trees fell in synchronization. The beautiful forest from fairy tales had become one step closer from the one of nightmares.

"*Beep boop beep?!*" (What was that!?) The 2D man exclaimed.

"Someone screamed, but it was distorted." Ike said.

The communicator turned on. Meta-Knight informed the group of unsettling information. _"More of the leaves are vanishing, at this rate they'll be gone completely!"_

"This has to be of the of a monster. It's the only way that explains it." Toon Link pulled out his sword in combat-readiness.

Lucario kneeled on the ground with his eyes closed, the aura feelers on his eyes floated for a mere seconds before he opened his eyes. _"Whatever this being is, it's in pain._ _ **A lot of pain.**_ _I can sense it nearby."_

"You can sense that far?" The trainer asked.

" _Not normally so. The emotional energy must be very powerful for me to sense at this distance."_ Righteous determination arose in the canine's eyes. If it went any farther, it would be borderline rage. _"R.O.B. hold on the extraction for a moment. We need to investigate."_

" _That's not necessary, Lucario. My ship's audio sensors picked up the signal. I can drive the Halberd there and you can follow behind."_

" _You won't reach there in time."_ The jackal interrupted the knight. _"We're closest. It has to be us. But we might need assistance, try to pilot there at fast as you can. We'll await your arrival."_

" _Understood. We'll be on call. Keep guard."_ The radio turned silent, prompting the solider to speak. "Any objections?" Everyone shook their heads in confidence. Greninja walked near the group, brandishing his kunai. "You're coming too?" Snake questioned.

The frog causally spoke in his language as he twirled the weapons in his hands. _"He says: I may be focused on self-survival, but I'm not selfish. Lead the way."_ Lucario translated, he was glad. Despite the circumstances, things might start turning around.

They sprinted in the direction to where they heard the scream, the passed countless trees until they came across a section of the forest that still retained their leaves. They found something that they never thought see again; something that was thought to be destroyed in the past but has now reared its ugly head in the present.

Two white floating hands holding onto a swollen detached eyeball.


	60. Chapter 60: Death of the Dream

**Chapter 60: Death of the Dream**

The tunnel was a far cry from riding a gondola in Venice but at least she wouldn't be torn into meat by those monsters. The girl sat into the cushioned seat of her heart-boat, lazily drift her eyes to her legs and the walls. It didn't register at the time, but she was tired. All this running is turning her legs into limp spaghetti. But there was no time for sleep. Rest is death. This nightmare would only end if she, only she ends what's responsible for twisting the nature of the park.

If she doesn't killed in the first strike that is.

"This ride had gone off long enough. Why are you still drifting?" Brawler tapped his fingers on the floor as he complained.

"Yeah, we went on this tunnel for a long time." Swordfighter agreed.

" _This is most likely a loading screen."_ Mewtwo said. _"Be patient. The end will come soon enough."_

The end. That word pinged up a realization in her mind. She didn't want to ask but it needs to be said. "Hey Mewtwo, what's going to happen after we complete the game?"

"Huh, that's right." The fist-fighter pondered. "You said something was going to happen after we got out of this room. What the hell we're you referring to?"

Mewtwo stayed silent. He floated in the air for a couple of seconds before releasing the undesired truth. _"After the game is finished. We are going to arrange a meeting to your punishment."_

The trio's heart went cold, they struggled to formed words from their paralyzed tongues. Then Brawler broken the tension. "The f*ck!? What gave you the right to do that?!"

" _You. All of you. Hid stuff behind our back. That's a borderline betrayal in trust in most people's books."_

"We only touched the crystal ball to get better at our skills." Sword tried his best to convince the Pokémon. "It wasn't nefarious at all. It was only affecting us, no one else!"

" _You don't know that!"_ Mewtwo scolded. _"You and your friends were playing with an anomalous object, not fully understanding it's capabilities. For all you knew, that artifact could have exploded or opened a portal to a dark dimension. I know you meant well, but keep in mind: The road is paved with good intentions. Don't even try to appeal to the others, they'll say the same thing."_

"Are you going to kick us out? Throw us in prison?" Gunner was scared now, she never wanted to hurt any of her friends, do so by accident or intent for be a betrayal of her soul itself.

Mewtwo softened a bit, he lowered himself to proportional eye level to make a statement. _"No. We wouldn't do that over something like this, especially to one of our own. There will be consequences, but it won't be severe as your making it out to be."_

"And how do we know we can trust you on that?" Brawler accused.

" _There's no way I can possible prove that to you."_ The psychic replied. _"But the three of you have my word."_

Before the trio can discuss the topic any longer, the controller rumbled. "I think our break it over." Gunner said. The safety bar of her seat pressed harder against the girl's legs, making it harder to slip out from the ride. The boat maneuvered out of the flow of the river towards a line of tracks dipping into the water.

Once reaching the tracks, the boat was pulled up the ramp and was slowly being raised towards the surface.

The girl was disoriented from the brightness of the stars, but soon enough her eyes adjusted. Looking back, the protagonist could see she exited underground through a hole in the side of a rock-like structure with a sign that says: **Tunnel of Love.**

"I had a feeling we we're in that the type of attraction." Sword commented. "But where are we heading now?"

The girl turned her head back front and center. The track led to mangled roller coaster of sorts: bolts were loose, bars were rusted, and worse of all; several parts of the track collapsed all together. It was a death-trap.

Gunner commanded the girl to get out of the seat, but the girl was struggling. The safety bar was stuck.

" _What are you doing?"_ Mewtwo questioned.

Gunner tapped the button repeatedly as she talked anxiously. "I'm trying to get the bar off! I have to jump before it's too late."

" _Leaping off will only result in death; look to the side!"_ Confused, Gunner directed the camera view to her right and saw what he meant. The screen had an entire bird's eye view of the park, she saw many attractions and monster walking aimlessly down below. It was so high up, she would have become flatter than a pancake if she jumped. There's no other choice but to stay on.

She also noticed that her boat her had wheel on both sides of her vehicle, the water must had hid it earlier. This didn't settle right with the shooter, it was just too convenient. Was this planned from the start?

" **WeLl. LoOk WhO DeCiDeD To CoMe CrAwLiNg BaCk!"** A glitched monotone voice reached her eardrums. A cutscene had started. The perspective changed to the very top of the roller coaster ride. A giant TV Monitor sat on the very top of the attraction. The screen was blood red, the only other colors on it were multitude of black pixels; in which combined together make a distorted angry frown.

The girl was confused, did that thing just speak like it knows her? Only when she focused her eyes on the technological giant did remembrance flooded over her like an ice-cold tsunami. "M? Is that you?"

" **Oh, sO YoU Do rEmEmBeR mE aFtER ALl."** The computer gave suppressed laugh. **"FuNnY, NoW I KnOw LiFe Is ToYiNg WiTh Me."**

"What's happening?" Gunner asked her friends.

Sword shrugged his shoulders. "Just confused as you."

"Shut up." Brawler shushed. "It's still going."

"How are… what made you into this?!" The girl shrieked. "I thought you died, they said you we're erased."

" **My DeStRuCtIoN WaS GrEaTlY ExAgGeRaTed."** The red pixels on the bottom edge of the monitor formed into a sad smile before reverting back to its neutral expression. **"They removed my consciousness from my body, violated my mind, and trapped me into a new model by the management. Do what that feels like? To be changed so much that you don't recognize yourself anymore?"**

"I… I…" It was getting hard to speak, her tongue conceive the words. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, M. If I had known-"

" **DoN't YoU dARe GiVe Me SyMpATHy. YoU DirTY TraITOR."** The computer accused. **"You'RE THE reason wHy I'm In This Hell, actually, this TomB of miNe waS YoUr dOinG as Well."**

The girl was on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry, M. I so focused on getting funds for the park. I didn't expect to be taken advantage of. I thought I could trust them!"

" **YoU saW ThEir RecoRD! I'Ve ToLd YoU that WeRe baD NeWs. BuT YoU DiDn'T LISTEn!"** The streetlights in the park glowed intensity in brightness, several bulbs shattered under the intensity of the electivity. **"LiKe ThE BleEding hEart You aRe, YoU fell For thE Sob StorY. Your IncompeTence Led tO The DeaTh of All Those PeoPle. YoU leT Me doWn, You Let YouR frieNDS DowN, You Let ThOse FamIlIes dowN. You LET everyone DOWN! But MosT ImporTantly, YoU leT the PaRK doWn. NoW It's JusT a DiRTY StaIn on History."**

She was crying down, she couldn't help it. "I know. I'll never forgive myself for allowing such a catastrophe. But… I'm going to fix this; I'm going to make it right, for everyone."

Mewtwo sensed an enormous amount of sadness coming from Gunner. _"Gunner? Are you feeling well?"_ He asked with concern.

Gunner shuttered. "I don't know. For some reason, it's feels so overwhelming."

" **ToO LatE To Make AmEnDS! You WilL paY FOR THIS!"**

The roller coaster went faster as if on cue, speeding up until it reached the drop. The girl and Gunner held their breaths as the cart went down. The track took gut wrenching turns and loops. It was so hard to even to focus, her vision was dizzy. Her stomach had it the worse.

The computer mocked the girl in supreme satisfaction. **"IT'S OnLY BeEN A CoUPlE Of MinTUES and YoU aLreaDY LosT You'RE LuNCH? NoT A HuGE surPrise. YoU AlwAys HaD WeaK GutS."** Her friend was truly gone; the last thing she held dear had now turned against her.

There was nothing left to mourn her.

M sighed in disappointment. **"As MuCh as I want To MaKE YoU SQuIRM. I KnOW I'LL EvEnTually Get BoRED Of It. I ReFuse to DiLuTE My WisH Due To TimE. I HaVE To EnD YouR Miserable ExiStANCE."**

The boat momentarily stopped. The girl managed to withhold her puke but ended up spitting off to the side. She was being pulled up another ramp. The girl believed she would be subjected to another round of raw motion and turmoil. That was until she saw the track was broken after the drop.

"M! You can't do this! We're family."

" **NoT AnYmOrE. YoU DiED In My EyeS A LoNG TiME AgO."** The computer rebutted. **"GoodBye, yoU LiTtlE Idiot."**

The roller coaster was getting closer to the high-point, if she didn't do anything, she'll certainly die. But what can she do?

"There's has to be a way to escape." Brawler spoke. "This is the climax; there's always a gimmick or trope that allows the main character to escape."

"Can she jump off?" Sword suggested.

" _No, she'll splatter."_ Mewtwo said

The sword wielder snapped his fingers "What if she climbed on the structure of the attraction itself? She can survive that way."

"Maybe, but she's trapped in the cart. The bar is pinning her to the seat." The fist-fighter pointed out. "She can't get out."

"Maybe not." Gunner whispered. The shooter looked at the bar holding her legs to the boat. "The bar was working before. It has be stuck. If I can just pry it open I can get out."

" _Do you think your character has the strength to accomplish that?"_ The psychic asked.

"I don't know." Gunner shook her head in doubt. "But I need to try, if I allow my character to sit in the ride, with no attempt to free her on my part…" The Newcomer frowned as if she just tasted something sour. "That would only make me a bigger coward than I am already am."

" _I disagree with you being a coward. But I agree on your sentiment."_ Mewtwo voice was smooth in telepathy, if the circumstance were different, it would be perfectly soothing. _"Give it your all._ "

Gunner bit her lip and gripped the control harder than she ever did. She doesn't know why she feels overwhelmed by the appearance of that computer, but that doesn't matter now. Everyone was counting on her to get the job done; it was her time to shine.

The girl urgently wrapped her fingers around the bar and tried to lift it up too no success. It was heavy.

"Still not budging." Brawler commented.

"I can't give up on the first attempt." Gunner gritted her teeth. "I have to try again."

The girl resumed her pushing, the bar wobbled slightly forward then back to its original position. M was curious to why she was flailing around in the heart. **"WhaT ArE You DOiNg?"**

The shooter perked up, could it be working. "Alright, third time's the charm."

The girl pushed even harder, her nails cracked as she used her muscles to the limit. By miracle, the bar was raised up to a considerable amount; her legs didn't feel numb any longer. The computer yelled **"WHAt!"**

Gunner was flooding with joy, it was possible after all. The female Newcomer commanded her character to retain strength and pry the harness all the way. The bar was raised higher, she can move her legs freely now.

M was getting infuriated. This beautiful day shall not be ruined because the coward had an inch of fight left. **"Oh nO yOu Don'T! You'RE noT getting AwAy You RaT!"** The cart was picking up speed; the girl will be going off the drop if she didn't pick up the pace.

"Almost free! Come on." Gunner was almost cracking her own nail, if she wasn't impervious to damage, they would've broken off. The bar was free now, she had full reign of her lower body.

Sadly, her ride came close to the broken segment, which was fast approaching. "Oh crap! Jump dammit. Jump off!" Brawler announced. Jump where? She looking down and she see is the bloody pavement! Where go her possibly land safe and sound?

Her head poked to the metal structure to her right, it was yet another faulty system of metal pipes and wires, an extension of the already decaying roller coaster. If she could cling on, she can be safe from the fall at least.

The girl leaped from her broken heart jumped through the air like as circus performer. She landed chest first into a rusted beam. Her chest hurts, the torso must have sustained some sort of damage, but it was hell of a lot less of what would have occurred if she stayed on the cart. Which consequently slid off the rails like butter; disappearing to the pavement below.

Joy could not come sooner, she had just cheated death. All that was needed was a bit of willpower. However the celebration had to wait, a certain computer wanted her death. **"YoU PerSiStAnT Bitch."** M seethed. **"YoU GaVe Up WiTh ThE RoPe AnD NoW AlL of A SuddEn you Have A Will TO FigHT? I'M NoT GOIng TO LeT My HAPPiest Day LEaVE ME!"**

The winding of mechanics and shuffling chains caught the attention of the girl and Smashers, unbeknownst to them, a couple of cranes had been installed in the area; both heavily modified from their original function. Gunner's character nearly peed her pants upon seeing a wrecking ball and a circular saw blade appearing up from above.

"Oh no." Muttered the shooter.

The wrecking ball swung at the girl at tremendous speeds. Luckily it missed the girl only by a hair. But it smashed into the metal structure, causing it to occasionally wobble and creak.

"It doesn't look stable, you need to move somewhere else." Sword said.

"Down below?" Brawler asked.

"No, too far. We'll have much room to move if we go up."

" _The computer is also above the coaster. If M is like the other bosses you faced then Gunner will have to directly deal with her. Gunner?"_ Mewtwo wanted a response from the Newcomer, but then saw she was already making her character crawling up.

"I got it, I'll try to get to the boss in one piece. Wish me luck." Gunner said, internally praying for her success.

The saw rotated in a circular motion and lunged at her, the girl once again dodge out of harm. The saw instead sliced into several strands of hydraulic cables; a handful of the fluid splashed onto the girl, mostly on her arms and hands.

Brawler was getting concern. "We're getting to many close shaves, how far are you away from the top?"

"More than halfway there." Gunner answered, her character was climbing faster now. By actively used all four limbs, she was getting neared to the track above. "Just have to focus."

The wrecking ball was pulled out from the dent by the computer. **"Why Won'T YoU DiE?!"** M screeched. The metallic sphere was winded back with sluggish motion before crashing again. It missed again, but due to the fact the fluid was now coating her fingers, her grip slipped and she fell.

"Woah!" Sword announced. Thankfully the girl managed to hold onto a pipe several inches down below, but she pulled a muscle. Climbing would be more of a challenge than it already was. But she had to suck in the pain and move forward.

She was almost there… only a couple of feet left.

Then the girl felt searing sensation on her upper back, the pain was so great, she almost passed out. The saw had sliced into her right shoulder; it would have gotten deeper if the crane wasn't at the end of its reach. M relished in her former friend's suffering.

" **Oh SoRRy, Did ThaT HuRt?"** She said sarcastically. **"I'll TRY to Be PerCise Next TiME."**

Blood poured out of the wound but it seeped out at a rate on which she can manage without medical assistance, for the time being at least. The girl finally made it to the top tracks of the roller coaster. She touched the gash and pressed against it, her hand was dripping red. If the saw got any closer, she would have lost an arm.

The structure shook for the last time; metal bent beyond recognition, wires sparked everywhere, it was going any second. "Get out of the way!" Sword warned. Gunner made the character sprint to the right, standing over a section untouched by the mad computer. The damaged bits detached from the ride all together and collapsed to the ground, monsters and buildings were crushed under the immense weight of the scraps.

M didn't care for the destruction, she could fix it later; her objective still stands. More wrecking balls and saws appeared from the sky. If the girl was able to understand emotions from the screen, it would be blood lust.

"How are we going to defeat her, we're at a disadvantage." Brawler observed.

" _We can't defeat her out in the open with these cranes, we need to get inside the computer itself, we can shut possibly shut off the device that way."_ Mewtwo replied.

"The computer is high up though." Sword said. "I don't see stairs or elevators we can use."

Gunner then looked at M, there has to be an entry way to her, whether conventional or not. The shooter noticed multiple large cables plugged into the back of the computer and hanging off down below. It was at perfect eye level to her. By mere chance or design, these cables were placed near to a section of track. If the girl can reached there without being maimed, she'll be golden.

The buzzing of a saw got close to her ear, the girl booked it and moved as fast as humanly possible.

Sword saw Gunner's new founded confidence and asked "You figured out a plan, Gunner?"

"I can get up by climbing the wires." She pointed. "That's gotta be it."

A wrecking ball swung in front of the girl, several feet of track was been made into a wide gap in an instant. The girl almost tripped off the edge, and farther and she would have been dead. The human was hesitant to jump, but then the saws came to mind. She turned around for a split second and witnessed those sharpened circles approaching fast. The decision was made in heartbeat.

The character whipped around and leaped from the toes of her shoes. For a moment, breaths were held in anticipation if she could make it. Thankfully she was successful in her risk. Her knee was bruised from the action but it was arbitrary in the whole scheme of things.

The girl got up and resume running, up ahead was a spare cart that had been left on the tracks to rot. **"JusT Die, DaMMiT!"** M gained control of the heart coaster and made the vehicle go speeding in reverse. "Go to the side!" Brawler said. The girl quickly shifted to the right side of the track as the coaster zoomed by; derailing off the rails to the darkness.

The girl lost her balance momentarily, almost tripping to her demise. By instinct, she threw her arms forward. This realigned the balance on her body, allowing her to stay on the tracks.

A saw sneaked up on the human and made a slice on her waist, making her bleed more. She howled in pain but sucked her misgivings in her heart; she was close to the cables. Nothing good would come out of crying and sucking her thumb like a baby.

There was only about a mile left to go; only one step closer to her goal. When the girl began her sprint, she noticed a plethora of wrecking balls heading her way; destroying the metal structures she was previously standing. Ruthlessly mangling the ride in the process.

However, the task was accomplished. The girl took a leap of faith to the multicolored wires. Fate was yet again kind to her; she grabbed onto the cables as the section of the ride collapsed. The cranes tried to come after the human, but found they could not reach her. No matter how hard they tried, their metal ball and sharp blades couldn't reach her. They were forced to give up on their murderous intent and return to the night sky.

Even though Gunner didn't exert any physical exercise, the Newcomer was feeling her body was losing steam. "I made it."

Sword was concerned. "You okay? You look exhausted."

"To tell you the truth, I'm tired." Gunner answered truthfully. "I've been playing for a long time."

" _You're almost at the end, Gunner. Hold out for a little longer."_ Mewtwo encouraged.

"Alright… alright." The Newcomer relaxed and climbed the cables. It was surprisingly easy compared to the tracks. However she still had to deal with the ramblings of a mad computer.

" **WhErE DiD ThiS FiGhT or flight AttituDE caMe FrOM? You DisplayeD AnyThinG like This back TheN."** M's voice was still hostile, but it carried a tinge of wonder.

"I didn't know what to do back then. I was so empty. I thought I lost everything, I thought I lost myself." The girl talked as she went up, trying to maintain eye contact with her ex-friend. "The days have not been kind to me, but I understand everything now. I'm going to make atone for my actions."

" **And HoW ArE You GoInG TO Do ThAT?"**

"I'm going to grab the roots and pull out the seeds that we're planted so long ago." She slowed down slightly, and then spoke. "I'm going to end the park."

M's screen glitched and sparked without limit. Regain her composure; the computer reverted back to anger. **"YoU Can'T Do THAT yOU DumB BITCH! You'LL DestrOY The DReaM!"**

"The dream is already dead. I'm trying to end this nightmare, M. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be set free?" The girl pleaded.

" **BuT iF that HappEns, I'll LOSe mY PuRpose. WiThOut The Park, I'll HavE NothING. I'll be- I'll—A FALIURE! BeinG Here is Hell. But Outside is WORSe!"**

"Trust me, M. I've been on the outside. It's not picture perfect, but there is still hope for a better future. We can get on a boat and leave, it's that easy M; you have to trust me."

" **NO!"** The computer yelled defiantly. **"I must Remain! I Can't lEavE. I Can'T LEAVE!"**

The girl tried her best to convince but yet again fell short. If she couldn't get M to agree with her, then she has to other choice than to end this herself.

The girl went to the top of the platform the monitor was standing on and went behind the largest electrical device. There was a metallic vent on the back and a red tool box on the ground; the only two objects of worth relating to her mission.

"Well this is very self-explanatory." Brawler sarcastically remarked.

"Never question a miracle, Brawler. Do what you have to do Gunner." Sword said,

Gunner nodded and pressed an array of buttons. The girl knelt down on the floor and opened the toolbox, pulling out a brand new screwdriver. With the desire tool in hand, she pressed the metal tip against the vent and began unscrewing. She was working on the third screw when she was all a sudden pulled back by an unseen force.

The girl tumbled on the flooring, almost bouncing, until she came to a stop. She stood up to see multiple wires protruding out of the frame of the computer itself, moving on its own violating like snakes preying on an animal.

" **I told you, I won't let you end the park."** The computer said, voided of emotion. The wires got closer; electricity sparking from the exposed tips.

"I suppose there's not another entry we can try?"

"Gunner." The fist-fighter was stern. "You on a roll, don't bitch out at the last possible second."

The shooter thought of the screwdriver, the plot had specifically given her this item to progress the story. If she had to go, might as well go with courage. Gunner kept an eye close out of habit and pushed the stick forward.

The girl ran at the vent. The all three wires had lunged at her, hoping to coil their strands at her body. Two of them aimed for the head, which she dodged with minimal effort. The third wire went for her legs, it nearly got her but she escaped with only losing a shoe in the process.

Finally at the vent, she took out the tool and finished removing the final screws. She popped the grate with a creak and slid inside. As a bonus, she moved the grate back in place preventing the wires from following her inside.

She turned around to see rows of miniature data banks and computer on each side of room, forming a wide technologically corridor. At the very end of the room was a red lever connected to far end of the wall, it's appearance was dusty and covered with rust, implying that this mechanism hasn't been used for a long time, as if ever.

 **That's what I've been looking, the reason I came here! If I switch that off I can end this hell once and for all!**

"That's the endgame?!" Brawler blurted as if he was outrage. "We've been looking for a crappy lever all this time? A half-assed Deus ex machina?! Why… You know what, I don't even care anymore. Just get this bore-fest over with.

"Glad to see you taken my advice."

"Shut up."

" _Both of you shut up, you're test testing my patience."_ Mewtwo ordered.

The girl began lightly jogging up the lever, feeling proud on how far she came. When her hand was just an inch from the pole, she felt something wrap around her throat and was pulled back.

The human hit her head hard on the ground, feeling quite dazed. Wires from the ceiling coiled around her limbs and torso, lifting her up high in the air.

" **So CloSE And Yet So Far, YoU CamE AlL ThE WaY HeRe anD You StIlL FaILed."** A miniature monitor was lowered from above, meeting eyelevel with the girl. **"At LeaSt You Can DiE KnoWinG You TrIeD."** Another wired came from behind the monitor, sparking with thousands of volts. M slowly moved the metal tip to the girl's chest with careful precision.

The character panicked she was going to get electrocuted and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Everything was engulfed in despair until she caught a look of M's face. She wasn't as angry or joyful as before, if anything she looked sad. It was hard to tell at first with the pixels but was no doubt about, she's depressed.

If M is having doubts, then now's the perfect time to convince her, one more time. She only has one shot at this, this has to count or else. The girl took a huge breath and asked. "Why is the outside bad?"

The wire halted before it can reach her chest. **"What?"**

"You said the outside was worse than the park, why do you believe that so?"

The pixel face looked at her as if she said the craziest thing known to man, answering would delay her end, but something inside her hard drive compelled M to reply. **"How can you not comprehend this… pain? Everything outside of this park is painful, manipulative, and destructive. There's nothing for me there."**

"And you think here is better? This park is an extension of "The world." If what you're saying is true, then that pain present here too."

" **I never said this place was heaven on earth, but compared to the outside, it is. I need to this park, you have to understand that."**

"What are you going to use the park for? Everything is falling apart." The girl pointed out. "There are monsters running around and half the building are rotting! When's the last time you had any visitors?"

The monitor lowered down a bit. "There wasn't a single one was there." M returned to eye level, she expected to be ripe with anger, but found her fire has all dried up. She was right.

" **If the park is just as bad as the outside, then what's the point of even continuing?"** The wires on the girl's body loosened a bit. **"We are a remnants of a dead dream, birthed from a bygone era. Anything beyond that point was just… a letdown."**

"You're wrong, M. It's true that the world is filled with these nasty things, but at the same token, there is a force that contracts the ugliness." M perked her head up in confusion. "Charity, family, triumph of the spirit. These things are one of the many components that make life worth living. It may seem the darkness is winning at times, but that's just optics. We're the real winners here. You remember the first business we started?"

" **Yeah, it burned to the ground; figuratively and literally."** The computer grumbled.

"Yes it did. We both thought it was the end for both of us. But we carried on in hopes of achieving a better life. That same hope led us to the creation of this park. We can go back to those glory days again, M. You just have to give it a chance."

M stayed silent for moments on end, the girl was worried that she failed, but then she was lowered to the floor.

" **You are right."** The computer said, there was no glitching or audio shifts, just her plain voice. **"I've let myself astray for so long. It was madness. Madness! I broke everything under the name of healing and safety. This park has caused so much damage. It needs to… to end."**

The wires cleared the path to the lever; her mission was just about over. **"It's all you now."**

"Thanks you so much, M. When we get out of here, we can start all over-"

The computer interrupted **"No, I'm done for now."**

The girl tilted her head in disbelief. "What?"

" **I'm so tired, so incredibly tried. I want to rest. I want to shut myself off and drift for a while. I've been awake for so long."**

"Are going to sleep forever?!" The girl cried.

" **I don't know. Maybe it'll be a short nap, maybe it'll last for a long time. What I do know, is that I need this. Do not even believe for a second that I'm abandoning you. You'll have me in this hard drive."** A mechanical claw came from the side of the monitor, handing the girl an USB stick. **"Even though I most likely won't be able to help you directly in situations, I'll still be with you in heart."**

The girl cried and hugged the computer, even after everything M has done to her; she had to capacity to forgive. After letting go, the girl walked to the switch ceremoniously and gripped the handle. With the swift motion of her hand, the lever was turned off.

The screen faded to black.

The amusement park of horrors slowly faded to away, portions of the structure disappeared from reality all together; all that was left behind was the pier. The girl opened the gates, with her mission complete, she can finally dream again. The human stopped in her tracks and turned around to see the empty lot the park once stood with apathy. Then she pulled out the hard drive in her palm and looked at it, a sad smile appeared on her face before she put it back in her pocket. Walking down the wooden planks.

Gunner sighed in relief. "Man, I think that game number my fingers; glad to know I'm finally done."

" _Not quite. There's one last thing you need to do."_ Mewtwo pointed to the end of the dock. The girl was standing near the boat she came on earlier. A text screen popped up a few seconds later.

 **Leave This Place?**

 **Yes? No?**

"Oh, my mistake." Gunner awkwardly chuckled as she pressed yes; her vision went white.

 _ **The cowboy lined up his revolver at the rabbit, he had to make sure not make a sound otherwise his dinner will get away. When he got the slights lined up, he fired.**_

 _ **The archer shot ten arrows at the target. Three hit straight at the bulls-eye, whiles most got only near. The girl bit her lip. "Just need to practice a bit more."**_

 _ **The cans were lined up on a fence, the solider took out a futuristic sniper gun and shot all of them. Man did he love the smell of burnt metal in the morning.**_

The shooter dropped the controller and held her head. Her skull was throbbing, though it wasn't as bad as she believed.

"You alright?" Brawler asked.

"I'm fine. I forgot about the knowledge transfer thing." Gunner got up to pick the controller to see it had vanished. That's right; they always disappeared whenever the trial is finished. Should've expected that as well."Did else happened, besides my headache?"

"The screen disappeared as well as the freaks guarding the door. Pretty much it." Answered the fist-fighter.

" _What did you see in your vision?"_ Questioned Mewtwo.

Gunner shrugged her shoulders. "A lot of flashbacks relating to long-ranged weapons; pistols, bows, stuff like that. It was more straight foreword than I expected."

"Aren't you going to try out your moves right now?" Sword asked.

Gunner looked at the arm cannon attached to her arm. "That's a bad idea, my weapon isn't exactly in-door friendly." Another thought came to mind. They gained knowledge through the help of the crystal; it was its whole purpose. What going on with it now? "Hey, does anyone know where the crystal sphere is by chance?"

Sword observed the room careful before he muttered. "What in the world."

Brawler rolled his eyes. "What are you going on about now, blondie?" Sword bend over to pick something up, he turned around to showcase the artifact.

 **It faded in color.**

"Huh! Why… what wrong with it?!" Gunner said.

" _This isn't a normal occurrence?"_ Mewtwo replied.

"N-no it retains its color after we use it." If the color is gone, what else has changed? "Sword, is there still any energy inside the object?"

Swordfighter shook his head. "Checked just now. I'm not getting anything." He handed the sphere to the psychic, who used telekinesis to exam the item in more detail.

"But… how? It didn't act like that the other two times we used it." Gunner pondered.

"Guys, I think we're over thinking it." Brawler butted in. "I'm not a scientist, but I can make pretty good guess on what happened."

Sword was skeptical. "Really? What brilliant theory had you came up with."

"Think of it. This crystal ball was previous formed from the three other crystals we got from our adventures, and it shut off after three uses."

"Are you saying the sphere used something from the three gems to give use the knowledge?"

"Why not? It's not the weirdest thing we saw around here. Unless you have a better theory of course."

The blade-wielder huffed.

"Yeah, I though so." Brawler eyed the door. "I think it's about time we got a move on."

"To where?" Gunner asked.

"Anywhere but here, I'm kind of tired of being cooped up here."

"Maybe we should ask around where the team went?" Sword suggested. "They should have arrived by now."

"Better idea as any, let's go." The trio gather around and began walking to the hallway, they were halfway when Mewtwo teleported in front of them. "What now, Mr. Psychic? We got things to do." Brawler rudely asked.

" _Have you already forgotten?"_

"What are you-" The fist-fighter remembered the Pokémon's tirade from earlier. "Oh my god, you still have a stick up your ass about that. The issue's been resolved! Hell the sphere doesn't even work anymore, so there's no chance of it biting our ass."

The psychic shook his head. _"I'm not here to debate you on this. You knew in the first place that what you're doing was wrong, and you did it anyway. You got nothing to blame but yourself."_

But none of us got hurt, in fact it helped us grow as better Smashers. Can't you make an exception?" Gunner pleaded. She understood the psychic's point of view, but she felt this whole idea of punishment was too much. They strained themselves trying to improve their skills. The possibility that they might be punished was cruel on its own.

Mewtwo looked the woman in the eyes with sympathy. If any other person saw those eyes they might have reconsidered. Unfortunately such expressions wouldn't affect the great psychic. _"I'm sorry, Gunner. But I can't do that. If the circumstance were different, maybe. But not for something like this."_

Hey guys, I think we're blowing it way out of proportion." Brawler and Gunner stared at him like he had just said Santa Claus didn't exist for the first time.

"I beg your pardon?" Brawler said.

"Look, we have a good relationship with the rest of the Smashers here, and this is our first major screw-up we did. If we explain our reasoning, perhaps they'll let us off easy with nothing but a warning."

"Oh, now you're just bending over!"

"You started this whole mess, Brawler. Now it's time to owe to your actions and join us to the end. Unless what you've been saying was a lie and you were a coward this entire time."

The fist-fighter gritted his teeth. He was many things, but he's not a coward. He never was, and _never will be._ He turned around to the Legendary. "Alright, I'll bite. Let's see what your modern tribal council has in store. So when is it going to start?"

" _Right now."_ Confusion emanated from the Mii's as Mewtwo snapped his fingers. The four of them departed in a flash of purple. Leaving the bags of food and trash behind.


	61. Chapter 61: Bitter Success

**Chapter 61: Bitter Success**

It couldn't be real. That's what most of the Smashers thought, but reality has a funny way of revealing the truth. This is without a doubt Master Hand and Crazy Hand. It makes sense why crazy is still alive, he disappeared out of sight for a long time.

But Master was a different story. They saw him die, they saw his dead body. He should be dead, but here he is. Still up and kicking. There wasn't even a scar on his "palm." Did he came back to life, or was he dead in the first place.

Mr. Game & Watch saw the eye held by the hands, he involuntary beeped his surprise and disgust, alert the two gods to their presence.

" _ **What? Smashers!?"**_ Master Hand shouted; then turned to Crazy Hand. _**"You said they wouldn't notice!"**_

" _ **I SaId MoSt LiKeLy NoT nOtIcE. tHeRe'S a BiG dIfFeReNcE bBo."**_ The left hand justified.

Meta-Knight wasn't able to see the interaction but he could hear the voices fell, it took him no time to recognize who it belonged to. _"No… are these the brothers of creation and destruction?!"_

" _ **HeH Heh."**_ Crazy chuckled. _**"In ThE fLeSh."**_

No one knew, but R.O.B. was trammeling inside the bowels of the command center. The emotional pains he was feeling was indescribable. These two bastards had a hand in the extinction of his race, if only he could have been there with the team to see the gods up close and personal.

"How…" Ike trailed off, directing his speech at the right hand. "How are you still alive, we thought Tabuu killed you!?"

" _ **Let's say I had a hidden card up my sleeve that I wasn't aware of that's all you're getting."**_ Master waved his finger left and right. The team got in battle positions, even Greninja followed what everyone was doing. He didn't understand why they were against these… hands, but whatever reason it was, _it must be a damn good reason._

" _ **YeAh, We Don't WaNt To RuIn ThE SuRpIsE."**_ Crazy said.

Snake tilted his head slight, perplexed by the words of the leftie. "Surprise?"

Master hand resisted the urge to flick his brother. _**"Brother, I think you said too much."**_ He scolded.

" _ **No PrObLeM. wE cAn JuSt GeT rId Of ThE wITnEsSes."**_ Crazy formed into a fist; emanating a dark purplish substance, causing the Smashers to tense up even more.

Master pulled back on his brother's wrist. _**"You know we can't do that Crazy. Don't waste your energy on pointless fights. We got what we came for, so now we leave. We'll regain our toys back, another day."**_

"Not if I but an end to it!" Toon shouted, he took up a sprint then jumped into the air, pointing his blade at the right hand. A rocket missile hit the Hylian in the chest, propelling the boy back into the ground. Thankfully, Lucario managed to catch him before he hit the earth.

A Primid welding a rocket launch revealed itself behind a tree; it was followed by more Primids coming out of the woods, carrying a variety of weapons. _**"However, I know you people are itching for a fight. So I'll let my loyal servants keep you occupied whiles we make our getaway. Have fun."**_

Lucario growled. One of his major foes, whom the canine thought he was dead, suddenly came back to unleash some sort of scheme, with mocking to boot. Unacceptable. He refuses to allow himself or other to be enslaved by this tyrant. The Pokémon created an ball of aura in his paws and propelled it forward to the right hand.

The hands didn't even acknowledged them when the aura sphere missed them, they talked amongst themselves as they flew over the tree line; disappearing between the branches.

" _I was so close to hitting him!"_ Lucario said. _"Dammit, if I was only a second sooner._ "

"We'll get him later man, right now we have to deal with these guys." PT pointed out. The Primids formed a ring around the team, upholding their menacing look as they got closer. The Smashers in response formed a chain to counteract the evil creatures.

"R.O.B., we can really use that rescue about now!" Snake said.

" _[Meta-Knight's said he's working on something, just hold out for a long as you can.]"_ The robot said worryingly.

"*Beep boop beep, beep boop beep boop beep beep.*" (In that case, let's show these things who's boss.) The 2D man pulled out his flat hammer in preparation.

The jackal bit his lip and got into position. _"Yeah, let's show what happens when you try to destroy the world on our watch. Greninja, I'm going to ask again; are you sure you can handle this?"_

"Greninja gre ninja." (Not even a problem.) The frog formed two water blades in his hands. "Gre ninja ja gre." (Just give the signal.)

" _Alright on the count of three we go: one, two, THREE!"_ And the battle began.

Toon Link drew his blade and charged at two Primids, wielding lasers swords in their hands. Toon fought the one on his left first, the hero and monster fought it out with their weapon of choice. Their swords danced fiercely, but ultimately, the Hylian won with a directed slash to the head.

The boy was caught of guard with the body dissolving the darkness and dust, due to him not participating in the Subspace War he became unaccustomed to fighting these creatures, only hearing what they were like from the other Smashers.

The other Primid took advantage of the distraction and kicked the boy in the gut, pushing him to the ground. The Primid raised his laser blade up high and dove it straight to his face.

Thankfully, Toon had quick reflexes. The holder of courage protected himself by using his shield to block the laser tip. He continued this action of clashing shield and sword until the Prmid had enough. It stomped down on the boy's arm and attempted to slash the Veteran's face.

*SLASH*

Ike came onto the scene, bisecting the monster with a clean horizontal cut to the waist. Saving the boy from certain injury. "These things are weaker than before, are you alright Toon?"

The mercenary then felt an arrow fly past his face. He turned around to see a Primid frozen in place as it was about to swing its sword overhead; the arrow piercing it's eye, and presumably the brain.

As the monster collapsed, Ike looked at the boy, smiling as he pulled on his bow. "Never better."

Snake and GW came face to face with three distinct Primids: two wearing the color red- which meant they control fire –and one coated completely in silvery metal. This opponents would certainly be a problem to deal with.

The red ones threw a furry of fire balls at the two trophies; the flat man was able to dodge swiftly but the solider got the short end of the stick. The flames coated front of his suit and about half of his hair, the heat didn't cause any lasting damage of course but it still hurt like hell.

Snake did his best to pat out fire but it did no good. He was considering the prospects of "Stop, Drop, and Roll" when the flames slid of his body like butter and was absorbed into Mr. Game & Watch's bucket.

The solider nodded his thanks as he pulled his service weapon at the red Primids. With two shots to the skull, two more monsters were returned to the darkness to where they came.

The metal one was approaching; Snake realigned his aim and fired a couple of more bullets.

*Ping* *Ping*

The slugs simply bounced off of it's skin, barely denting the entity. If they wanted to cause serious damage they're going have to do better than that.

"*Beep boop beep beep booop beep boop?" (What do we do for this one?) The flat man asked.

Snake bit his lip in thought when he observed that the patches of fire, made from the red Primids were still burning around them. This caused the light bulb in his head to start shining. "I'll keep it busy, absorb all the fire and come back to me." He said before running straight to the metallic creature.

"*Beep!*" (Okay!) Said GW, trusting Snake's intentions. The black Veteran peeked into his bucket; the oil barely covered the bottom, that wouldn't last for long.

Snake battle the metal monster head on, years of CQC training made the difference in the battle. A punch here, a kick there, relative dodging and the occasional grenade was enough to keep his opponent at bay. The Primid denting even more. The solider directed his speech towards the flat man. "You full?"

Mr. Game & Watch quickly guided his bucket to every flame he could get his hands on. The moment the oil reached the rim, he beeped in satisfaction.

"Then dump it!" The solider turned the metal monster around and held it in place by its arms. The 2D fighter hadn't used "Oil Panic" for quite a while, but he was confident in his ability. Mr. Game & Watch sprinted as fast as he could and splashed the liquid at their opponent. The force from the attack propelled the Primid into the air, to which it exploded in a puff of darkness and shadow.

"*Beep, boop beep boop beep boop boop beep.*" (Huh, I kind of forget how powerful that is sometimes.) GW realized, observing the bucket more curiously.

"All of our moves can be powerful if we use it the right way." Snake reloaded his pistol as he talked. "You just need to utilize correctly in a given situation. Sometimes, combing moves can result in a powerful result." The pair witnessed several Primids coming their direction. "Want to test that theory out?"

"The flat man pulled out his favorite hammer "*Boop.*" (Gladly.)

The biggest swarm of Primids surrounded themselves against Lucario, Pokemon Trainer, and Greninja; most wielded plasma shooters while a couple held high-grade bazookas.

" _They just keep on coming."_ Lucario huffed.

"But they seem to be thinning out." PT commented. "That means they're running out of numbers. We can outlast them."

Lucario panted as he emanated aura on his paws. _"Then let's cut down their army even further."_

The trainer commanded Ivysaur to disarm their enemies. The grass-type targeted the closet Primids to the group; he swiped under the legs of three of the monsters and knocked them down on their ass. Sweeping the guns in his vines before tossing the weapons to the side.

Lucario threw an Aura Sphere at a Primid handling the rocket launch, the ball of energy made contact with the explosive just as it came out of the weapon, blowing it and the henchmen the smithereens.

A separate rocket however, managed to evade the blue canine's sight. Instead of blasting the Veteran away, it did so to the Newcomer. The explosion was right by Greninja's feet, he didn't receive much fire damage but he was thrown into the air several feet above before crashing down on the dead grass.

The frog was quickly surrounded by multiple Primids; the view of his body disappeared through a handful of black and green.

" _Greninja!"_ Lucario telepathically yelled. He, PT and Ivysaur ran to their fallen comrade but was thrown back by another explosion. Turns out there was third Primid hiding behind a large boulder, this one was apparently smarter than the rest. It took a swift shot when no one was expecting it. Despite it's cleverness, it wasn't that different from the rest.

Lucario opened his eyes to a dimming sky and dead trees. He tried to get back up but found that something was pulling on his right arm. He looked down to see that during the fall from the explosion, his paw managed to get plugged in a small pothole. The Pokémon tried pulling out but found that the spike on his hand made things needlessly difficult.

Footsteps we're approaching, he turned to see a couple of sword Primids sprinting his way. His stress spiked immediately, he tried pulling further, it was working but he wasn't sure if he could free himself before they get here. And they we're coming in fast.

PT got up from the floor and shook his head. He felt a hard object bump into his foot, the trainer investigated to see what it was, only to find out it was Ivysaur's trophy. His body could handle the percentage, the explosion did him in.

Before he could panic, he heard Lucario grunting. There were monsters going straight towards Lucario, it appears that the fuzzy jackal couldn't get up. If this continued, the Primids would have their way with him,

In a snap, he took out Charizard's Pokéball and let him out. When he materialized, he said "Charizard! Use Flare Blitz on those enemies! Don't let them touch Lucario!"

The fire-type was surprised to see what the enemies were, but nonetheless obeyed. The dragon flew at his target at high speed; fire coated every inch of his body as he went.

Lucario finally managed to get his paw out of the ground; the Primids were right at his feet raising their swords up high. The jackal was going to form another sphere when an orange missile slammed into the henchmen. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a satisfied Charizard,

A bright flash of light shined on his right, his head swiveled to see Pokémon Trainer waving his hand and Ivysaur looking around mildly confused. Then PT had his eye somewhere else and his smile faltered.

Following his eyesight, he saw that the same Primid that blasted them away had lined its sights again, in the process of pulling the trigger.

*SHUNK!*

A sword comprised entirely of water pierced through its chest. The Primid had it's final death throes before disintegrating into darkness. The attacker revealed itself to be Grenina in good condition.

A single Primid was sneaking behind the frog, holding a gun to the water-type's head.

" _BEHIND YO-"_ Lucario warned before realizing that the Primid had already been decapitated. Greninja paused in his stance, then resumed neutral position and calmly walked over to the aura master. "Greninja. Gre nin ja." (I told you. I'm cable enough.)

" _How did you get through that group unscathed?"_ Lucario said, he looked at the spot that Greninja fell previously to find a crudely made circle of darkness and black dust.

"Gre ninja: ja gre." (Two words: ninja skills.)

The Smashers regrouped. The forest had gone silent and their adrenaline had faded. The battle was over. "I think that's all of them." Ike wiped the sweat from his forehead, this fight was much more intense than he realized.

"The hands got away though." Muttered the boy.

"We'll get back at them, Toon. We had a minor set back but we'll take care of them soon enough." Snake said. "But first, we need to get back to base."

As if on cue, the Halberd appeared over head, the engines of the ship catching the attention of the group. _"Sorry for making you wait, one could get easily lost in this maze of a forest."_ Meta-Knight said over the communicator.

"*Beep beep boop, beep beep beep boop boop boop beep boooop boop beep boop beep. Beep boop.*" (No big deal, we just had to survive another death trap this week. Pretty normal.) Mr. Game & Watch responded.

"Are you being sarcastic or are you serious?" Ike asked.

" _Yet again, my apologies. I only located this spot when I saw the hands leave. The rest was time management."_ A boat connected to sturdy rope was lowered down to the forest; their lift. "[How is the percentage between you guys? Is it serious?]" Questioned R.O.B..

Lucario coughed. _"A few of us got knocked up but nothing deadly serious. It'll heal easy."_

" _Well then, when you're done give me the signal and I'll the lift the boat back up. Don't wait too long; night is coming."_

" _Sure thing, Meta-Knight."_ Lucario turned to the Newcomer to see how he is doing; the frog was completely mesmerized by the ship above. "Something caught your eye Greninja."

Greninja began speaking in his native language, slowly transitioning eyesight from the ship to the Smashers.

"What did he saw?" The trainer said.

Lucario faced his snout to his team. _"He at first believed we we're some poorly thought-out rag-tag jamboree. Didn't believe we were this sophisticated."_ The blue Pokemon returned eyesight to the frog. _"Well Greninja, seeing that you're interested in our ship, would you like to come along with us to our home. There's a lot of gadgets and information that you might find quite spectacular. We can even give you a nice warm meal. What do you say?"_

The Greninja was conflicted but ultimately decide to go along with them. They do seem do know the way out. The amphibian demanifested his water blades and nodded, giving out a warm but perplexed handshake to boot.

* * *

After a relieving yet somewhat uncomfortable ship ride later, the Smasher's finally reached the mansion just when the sun was setting down. Due to Greninja's unique personality, the team thought I would be best to showcase the various parts of the mansion and crew to convince the frog to stay on aboard with the organization. Fox, Pikachu, and Samus were tasked to giving the Pokemon a tour while the rest of team were busy discussing what the witnessed with R.O.B. and Meta-Knight.

"And this is the balcony." Said the bounty hunter as she gestured to the view of the ocean. "Like the view?"

Greninja looked at the pale moon over the water. "Greninja."

"Pik chu pi Pikachu" (He says it's good.)Pikachu translated. Since Lucario was busy at the lab, Fox and Samus had to rely on the yellow Pokémon for a precise translation. But since they been around with Pikachu for a long time, they were able understand what he was conveying; even if they didn't comprehend the words themselves.

"Gre ninja, nin nin j a gree ninnn nin ja ja greninja ja. Re re ja grenin ninja."

"Pik chuuuu. P Pik chu chu pika Pikachu chu." (Quite interesting, I never seen anything quite like that. Especially with the generator.)

"Gre… re ninja re greninja re nin."

Pikachu's eyes went wide in dismay. "Pik chu Pika?" (Are you sure?)

"What's he saying?" Fox asked.

"Pik chu pi pi pikachu pi." (He's leaning towards leaving anyway.) The electric rat explained. "Pi pika chu pi pi chu chu Pikachu hu?" (But why do you want to leave so suddenly?)

Greninja was still had his eye on the moon. "Greninja gre ninja.."

(Pi Pika chu p pika chu, pi…) "He states it's a private matter, uh…" This is slowly becoming a disaster. The idea that they might lose a friend for the first time is terrifying the fact that he and the other two fighters were tasked with giving the frog a pleasurable time made it worse. There's got to be something he can do. The thought bounced around in Pikachu's skull before he finally came up with an answer.

The mouse said to Greninja, that before he decides anything, that he might want visit the lab. The Smashers held much scientific and historically information about the world in that room, and that it would be in the amphibian's best interest to stay at least to learn more about where the Newcomer is before he ventures out into the night.

The Greninja stayed silent; then turned around to the Smashers. "Gre nin ja ja gre. Greninja."

"Please tell me it's good." Said Samus.

Pikachu lightly smiled and turned to the woman. "Pikachu pi chu pi pika chu Pikachu pi chu pi." (Greninja says that he agrees and wants us to lead the way.) He turned back to the frog. (Pike chu, pi pik chu Pikachu pi chu ch, Pikachu pi chu. Pikachu pi chu, pik pik ka chu Pikachu ou chu chu. Pikachu pika.) "Well Greninja, if its knowledge you want, we can deliver. If we go to the lab, we can give you a run-down of everything we learned so far. Follow me."

Samus, Pikachu and Fox went inside the door, casually walking down the hallway. Greninja gave one last glance to the moon before following his hosts, closing the doors in respect for the starry sky.


	62. Chapter 62: Gone

**Chapter 62: Gone**

The aftermath of the mission should have been relatively peaceful and sincere, but since the reveal that one of their greatest foes has come back from the shadows, it created low-key panic within the compounds of the lab. As of now, the Smashers that were currently discussing the problem were: Marth, Meta-Knight, Lucario, Snake, Mario, R.O.B., Pokemon Trainer, Mega Man, and Villager. While Toon Link, Mr. Game & Watch, and Ike volunteered to keep watch on the roof tops of the mansion just in case something tries to attack them tonight.

"[So you're telling me that the reason why the forest died is because the hands ripped out an eye from a tree?]"

"Yes." The solider replied to the robot. "Not only that, it seemed the eye was pulsing as if it was alive."

Villager gagged. "That's so cruel, not to mention disgusting." The boy tried to shake the image from his mind by thinking of puppies and chocolate cake.

Mario sat on a desk chair, tapping his fingers in thought. "I a don't understand. Master Hand was heavily injured by a Tabuu, there was so much blood; he shouldn't have survived."

Lucario stepped into the conversation. _"Master Hand said he had a hidden card up his sleeve. He even stated that's the only reason why he survived in the first place."_

"But we don't know what that "card" even is." Pondered Mega Man. "Could he be referring to his brother."

"The way he was phrasing it, it sounded like this hidden trick of his came from within himself, maybe a special power he recently discovered."

"Do you think the painting you saw in the caves could be connected?" Marth Asked. "If so, then we would have a serious crisis on our hand. Not only would we have to deal with this FW character, we would have to deal with our ex-creators welding an unknown power."

Snake shook his head. "Let's not jump to conclusions. That painting was very vague, and doesn't fit in with the current history of the WOT as know. If he did indeed possessed this power in the past, why didn't he use it during our many confrontations with him?"

"Uh… Maybe he forgot about it?" Villager asked, causing the Smashers to be bewildered.

Snake pinched the bridge of his nose in mild annoyance. "Villager…"

"No, I'm serious!" The boy retorted. "You said Master Hand wasn't aware of the power at first, it would make sense if he something caused him to forget his capabilities. Not to mention it would totally make the painting and his statement believable."

"And what would cause him to forget in the first place?"

"Uh… Maybe he bumped his noggin pretty hard?"

Snake face palmed. "Kid-"

"What if this a Master is actually a clone?" Mario interrupted. "We now cloning is a possible, Mewtwo is a proof of that. Crazy could have managed to clone his own brother after-"

" _That's not possible."_ Lucario said firmly. _"What we saw today, was the original Master Hand."_

"How can you be sure?" Marth asked.

" _I sensed his aura. Everyone has a unique one, think of it spiritual identification code for living beings. If this Master Hand was a clone, it would have been similar, but different. This, without a doubt, is the original."_ Lucario repeated. _"Besides, Crazy specializes in destruction. Creation is a not his forte."_

"[Now that I think about, did any of you guys remember seeing Master's body as we were leaving the subspace dimension?]" Everyone stayed silent. "[I see, so that's how he made his escape. His brother could have saved his life when we we're not looking and patched him up."

"Or maybe the unknown power gave a him everything he needed." Mario said.

The room was void of sound lest from their breathing and heartbeats, the Smashers were engulfed in thought and anxiousness until Meta-Knight spoke up.

"There's no use arguing on how he came back, with the little information we have it'll only be speculation. So instead, let's focus on how we're going to stop the hands. They said they needed the rest, right? In that case, we need to strike them down when they're at their weakest."

"Well we need to find the hands first before we can even think of battling them." Pokémon Trainer Reminded. "That'll be a challenge alone considering how expansive this world is."

"Yeah that's gonna be a pain in the rump." Mario commented.

"Exactly, which is why we need to calculate." The knight agreed. "Since we don't yet possess knowledge of the location, I propose that we form a watchdog group of sorts. This would involve sending Smashers to potential places and have them report what they see. Then with all the information we gathered, we compact it into a file and hopefully pinpoint the exact hideout and plan the hands have."

"But that's akin to finding a needle in the hay stack. Don't you think that plan is vague?" Marth asked. With the prince having plenty of experience forming strategy in the art of war, this prospect of defeating the hands this way made him uncomfortable.

"It's vague because we have vague information." Meta-Knight answered. "This is not final, we can change the plan accordingly with the more information we gather."

"Hey guys, maybe we are over-reacting here." Spoke the boy, causing the Veteran's to go bugged-eyed at the Newcomer. "I've mean you guys defeated Master Hand and Crazy Hand in the past. After the 64 era he a lot of his power and strength. I mean he can't even control what he once created."

Lucario frowned. _"Mega Man, you don't know Master and Crazy like we do. Sure, he's not the juggernaut he used to be, but he is still a high-priority threat. He has a wide variety in his arsenal: laser beams, flight, force-fields… the stuff what he has at his disposal would put the Robot Masters you faced to shame."_

"But that's not the worst part." Snake continued. "The worse part is Master Hand's ambition. He's always looking to reinvent and improve himself, changing and editing his own powers with time. He's not the type to surrender or give up his goal in regaining complete control of his "collection". We always have been able to defeat him, but victory is not guaranteed. If we screw up and if he wins. Not only would he be able to control the WOT but potentially the Omniverse as a whole."

Mega Man and Villager became agitated and nervous, trying to imagine the horrible outcome if the supposed ruler of this rule took back his throne.

"[Actually, I thought Master Hand just wants to control the Smashers and nothing else?]" R.O.B. questioned.

"Never underestimate the thirst for power, R.O.B." The solider replied. "The drive is implemented in mortal and god alike."

"[One more thing I like to add. I believe the hands were also responsible for the sabotage on the other last two missions. The bulb was missing from lighthouse; I can only assume that it was his doing. And according to Debra- whom I had a chat with her before she left -a large some of gold was stolen from the vault of Jack Grey's casino.]"

"Master Hand stole gold from the vault?" The trainer was astounded. "No wonder why he believed it was us. How did he manage to accomplish that?"

"Got me." Mario said.

"[I don't know. But for now, we have to believe that this plan of his revolves around these three items: The eye, the gold, and the blub. But I can't imagine how they can go together.]"

"A super-weapon. " The plumber asked.

"[Could be, could be.]"

"If that's the case.." Meta-Knight said. "We need to gather up our allies, both Smasher and not alike. Lucario, didn't you say that the Newcomer you brought from the forest seemed hesitant to join?"

The jackal nodded. _"That's_ what _I felt; I arranged a tour to try to convince him to join. I told Pikachu to end the tour at the lab and we'll try to pick up things from there."_

"[Good.]" R.O.B. replied. "[We need to be hospitable as much as possible. The last thing we need is to start losing Smashers.]" The robot tapped on his metallic chin for more options. "[On the topic of potential allies, I think we should try to contact Debra in Onett.]"

"Why here?" Marth answered.

"[Her clairvoyant abilities may prove fruitful to us long term.]"

"Should we try to patch up relationships with Jack Grey and get him on our side?" Mega Man asked.

"[Oh, no. That bridge has been burned up long ago. But there is something else we can try. The cyborg ants. Without their leader, they're just on cruise control. If we could find a way to break them out of their trance and programming. We could have a huge heavy hitter.]"

"Yeah, we can also find this FW guy to help us out too!" Villager cheerfully suggested.

"What?!" _"What?!"_ "[What?!]" Snake, Lucario, and R.O.B. shouted, the rest of the trophies stared at the boy with confusion. Who was just as perplexed as everyone else. "What?"

"Kid. You can be serious."

"I am. We need all the allies we can get he's seems very crafty. If we can somehow find FW, perhaps we'll have the edge over Master Hand and Crazy Hand."

" _But he's not an ally."_ Lucario retorted. _"This guy has been hiding from us and his interventions almost got us killed or almost caused destruction."_

"Maybe you're wrong." Villager pointed at the computer. "This guy gave a lot of clue and items. If he was working against us, why give us all this stuff. Wouldn't it be easier to keep it and plan more stuff from the shadows?"

Lucario looked at the device, and he knew what the boy was implying. _"We don't know what would happen if we input the last answer? Anything could happen."_

"But we know what happens. We give an answer it gives us an object in return." Villager reminded. "Maybe if we get the third object we can combine it with the pencil and paper and something spectacular might happen. Why are you nervous to use the computer now when you used it two times already?"

Lucario bit his lip. _"I… just have a bad feeling."_

R.O.B. raised a hand to catch the jackal's attention. "[Actually…]"

" _You're on board with this?"_

"[Well, not full-heartily.]" The robot admitted. "[But I do believe answering the last box is the best course of action for us to take.]"

"So we can get the third item?" Marth guessed.

"[That and trying to data mine the code.]"

Mario rose from his seat in curiosity. "I thought you a said that code was a too complex for you to handle."

"[It was, but now it's…]" R.O.B. clicked his head to the side, trying to pick the best linguistics to structure his sentence. "[I don't know how I can fully explain what I saw in words, but it's like it's getting weaker somehow.]"

Snake was astounded; he thought the program was on lock-down. "The program is slowly unlocking?"

"[It's only a guess, but I assume it's because we unlocked the other two boxes. If we unlock the last one, I believe I have full access to the code.]" R.O.B. went on further, expressing vast interest like a child excited over seeing Santa in person for the first time. "[And if I have full access to the code, I'll might be able to reverse-engineer it! Think of it. We could have unlimited storage with this code, and that's only one of the possibilities. I could just imagine what I can possibly cook up with."

"You seemed very joyful about this subject." Mega Man said.

"[Trust me; if I had a tongue, I'd be salivating right now.]"

" _Guys, you're not seeing the point, this program was made by FW._ _ **And FW is not an ally**_ _."_ Lucario repeated. "If he was one. Why would he plant a bomb on the dam or give the chip to that crazy ant? Does that seem like the actions of a good guy to you?"

"Maybe he's being forced to do so?" Marth asked.

" _I beg you're pardon?"_

"Back during the Brawl era, with the whole war with Tabuu, there had been several Smashers that had been manipulated into achieving world domination. R.O.B. is especially notable since he was directly forced to work for the bad guys, go against his morals and beliefs, or risk the destruction of his people."

"[Which happened anyway.]" R.O.B. sighed. Villager patted the robotic Veteran on his back to comfort him.

"I wouldn't have considered that if it weren't for the questions on the boxes. They were obvious referring to the Newcomers: Rosalina, Little Mac, and uh… who's the new guy you brought in?"

"Greninja." The solider answered.

"Exactly, but those guys came after the riddle, before we even knew who the three Newcomers were. Now that wouldn't be possible unless FW has precognitive abilities or has a record of the future. It might be a conspiracy, but what if FW revealed itself so it can help us fight against the hands."

Snake was baffled by the hero king's theory, for a guy who's precise and grounded, he never expect for him to do this.

"I know its sounds crazy, but we live in a crazy world." Marth gestured around the room. "Unexplained and unpredictable events always happen during these Newcomings. But I fear now that this most recent Newcoming is slowly unraveling, leading to potential disaster. Now we always come out victorious during such disasters, but that's only due to luck and determination. I refuse to believe that the rise of Master Hand and FW is not a coincidence. If the hands are devils in arms, perhaps FW is an angel in disguise. If we answer the riddle, we might be one step closer in discovering the truth."

"And if something does go wrong with the computer we can shut it off. That's a good defense, right?" Villager added.

With a new perspective on their person of interest, chatter rambled around the room, wondering what road they should take. To Lucario's dismay, the group reluctantly agree to answering the last box."

"[Since we know what the answer is I'll-]"

" _R.O.B., I think it's best if I input it in."_ Lucario said with dissatisfaction. _"I rather have it be me instead of anyone else."_

"[Okay, but if we're doing that, I'm plugging myself into the computer so I can shut it off from a safe distance if need be. No exception.]" The robot declared.

" _Fair point. *sigh* let's get started."_ The blue jackal sat oddly relaxed on the desk chair, waiting for the robot to attach a cord from his body to the hardware itself. When R.O.B. finally plugged himself in, Lucario moved the mouse to the orange box and typed in the answer.

" _A ninja's false scarf… a tongue."_ Upon pressing the enter key, instead of a virus or some other dangerous anomaly like he feared, the screen showed a rotating circle that went clockwise. _"What… up with the screen?"_

"[I think it's buffering.]" R.O.B. explained letting go of the cord. "This might take awhile, but other than that, I don't sense anything dangerous so far."

"See! I told you nothing bad would happen!" Villager exclaimed proudly.

" _It's still loading; don't get your hopes up."_ The Pokémon then laid back in his chair with minor relief. _"Still, I didn't expect this to be so… anti-climatic."_

"Were you expecting the computer to explode?" Snake asked.

" _I expect for it to do something, I didn't expect for it to annoy be with a spinning circle."_ Lucario answered. _"At least nothing else is happening."_

Loud knocking emanated from the other side of the lab door. _"Spoke to soon."_ The jackal sighed as he rose up from the desk. "It's open!" Marth said. The door swung forward. Samus, Fox, Pikachu and the newly arrived Greninja came into the room. The tone immediately tuned to that of welcoming spirit, thankful that the Smashers found another one of their people so soon.

"Woah! Who is that?" Wondered Villager.

"Oh that guy? I saw him earlier and Meta-Knight told be it's a Pokémon." Mega Man replied. "Said also that it's an amphibian that's specializes in martial arts and stealth."

"So a frog ninja?"

"I guess."

"That's so cool! Frogs and ninjas are two of the most things I like! Do you think he'll want to be my friend?" The boy asked the android. Greninja tried to hide it, it was faint but there was a slight redness of both of his cheeks.

Lucario opened up a private telepathic link with Pikachu. _"How'd it go?"_ He asked wondering how successful the tour was.

The electric mouse gave a frown. _"He's still on the fence, and he's leaning towards leaving this place all together."_ Lucario lowered his head down. _"But he seemed interested when I mentioned about the lab and the history of this world. Like he was really invested."_

" _You think we can rope him in by offering him knowledge?"_

" _Seems like the best option we have on hand."_

Lucario eyed Greninja, the frog was being greeted by a couple of the Smashers while the rest were looking on in suspense. The method is unorthodox for his taste but if it pleases the Newcomer.

" _Pikachu, I need you to retrieve the Super Smash Brother's homemade history book from the library, I'll handle my part right here."_

" _What are you going to do?"_

" _Smooth Talking."_ Lucario answered nothing more but a plain wink. Pikachu was confused but none the less exited the lab and went straight to the hallway.

"So this is the official laboratory of the mansion" Fox guided the frog to the many computers and scientific devices in the room. "We mainly use this area for research but we also use it to create inventions and new technologies of the like. R.O.B. the robot runs this place most of time but Samus and I like to assist him when he needs it."

"Gree…" Greninja replied as he rubbed his chin, keeping note of all the fancy gadgets that were laid on the tables.

" _Hello, Greninja."_ The frog then focused his attention at the blue-furred canine. _"How's the tour treating you?"_

"Gre nin ja ja, Gre gren ninj ninja jia jia greninja ja nin ninja greninja gre nin." (Its fine per say, I swear this place looks bigger than it looks on the inside.)

" _Yeah, we get that a lot."_ Lucario rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _"So I heard from Pikachu that you were really interested about the scientific and historical knowledge we possess."_

The water-type folded his arms and looked at the computer that was buffering "Gre… gre nin ja ja grenin nin ninja gre gre nin ja greninja ninja nin greninja gre ninja nin ja." (Eh… I may be a creature of body and mind but I do like to delve in the realm of science any chance I get.)

"[What did he say?]" R.O.B. questioned. Samus then swooped in and whispered to the robot's head, detailing the on-going situation.

" _I see. In that case, you would like it if we provide some of what we know?"_ The jackal asked. _"Pikachu is currently fetching the notes we written about this world, so that might awhile till he get's back. But for the meantime, R.O.B. can show some of the stuff we have in the lab. Considering how you and he are men of science, I'm pretty sure it would be a blast."_

Greninja then took a quick glance to the robotic Veteran before reposition his eyes to Lucario's. "Gre. Nin ninja gre ninja." (Yeah. That would be nice.)

Samus had finished whispering; R.O.B. was now more informed. "[Ah. Well Greninja, since you have a fancy for the many inventions I have here, I'll be honored to explain how they work. It's glad I get to meet another scientist in the big wide world.]"

Lucario silent sighed in relived and began to smile; things are starting to turn around.

All of a sudden, the room was bathed in purple and pink, it only lasted for a second but it certainly hurt the Smashers eyes. When it cleared, they saw the trio of Mii's and a certain psychic-type standing in the middle of the lab.

"Oh god." Sword said, trying to maintain balance. "A warning would have been nice; the room is still tilting."

" _It's a common side effect for those not used to teleportation."_ Mewtwo responded. _"You'll get used to it with time."_

"Where have you been?" Marth questioned. "You and the Mii's have been gone for the entire day!"

" _That's why we're here. I came to inform you of… hm?"_ Mewtwo trailed off as saw Greninja in his field of vision, who had became wide-eyed at his very appearance.

"Gre, nin gre ninja jag r greninja grenin nin ja ja greninja nin ninja gre ninja greee. Greee gr nin inja grenin ninja greninja ja j agree?" (Arceus, when they told me that the legendary Mewtwo was living among humans I was skeptical to say the least. What's the most powerful being on earth living here?)

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. _"Do I know you?"_

The frog frowned slightly. "Greg re nin ninja ja, gre ninja greninja ja, gre ninja gre gre nin grenin. Gre nin ninja ja greninja." (So you don't know me, I guess I can't be surprised. It has been a long time.)

"Mewtwo, this is Greninja. This is the most recent Newcomer we rescued today from the forest." Snake clarified.

"Yeah… we also discovered something else in that place as well." PT dragged his foot along the ground in discomfort. His Charizard showed his frustration by blowing smoke from his nostrils.

This Newcomer had claimed that he met him before; he didn't meet a Greninja in his life. And what's this thing about something else in the forest. You know what? He can worry about that stuff later. A certain issue needed to be addressed. Mewtwo raised a hand. _"You can tell me all about what happened later on. First, you need to know what's been happening these last three weeks. It's important."_

"Yeah sure… _important._ " Brawler used air quotes on the last word.

" _Look Mewtwo, can it wait. We're in the middle of something."_ Lucario voiced his concern.

"Grenin, gre nin gre nin greninja." (Actually, I want hear his claims. I have a feeling it's _really_ important). The frog folded his arms in an almost accusatory to the Mii's, especially to the one wearing red.

"Translation?" Meta-Knight asked Lucario.

" _Our guest wants to hear this story."_ The jackal bit his lip. Things were getting tense. Dammit! Why couldn't he bring this at a another time? No use whining now; just get it over with. _"Alright then, let's hear it."_

"If we're telling you this, then I'm going to be the one who's telling the story." Brawler said, poking a thumb to his chest. "After all, he doesn't have the full details." He glared at Mewtwo as he spoke.

Gunner tapped on his shoulder. "Uh, Brawler? I think it'll be best if I do the talking?"

"Excuse me?"

"You tend to be a little… bitter when it comes to these kinds of discussions. You attract more with honey than with vinegar right? Ha ha." Gunner twiddled her fingers in awkwardness.

Brawler rolled his eyes before leaning against a nearby desk. "Whatever. As long as you tell it straight I don't care."

"Ok." Gunner took a deep breath and then face the many trophies in the room. All eyes were on her.

"Guys. There is something me and my friends would like to tell you about."

* * *

They all had different reactions: Some were confused, some were pissed, and some were shocked. The only one who showed no emotion was Mewtwo, who stayed on the sidelines of the discussion.

"I'm going to ask one more time." Snake said. "Each of you found a gem on your individual missions. You put said gems into a chest and it morphed into a crystal ball overnight. You found out what it did and you used it to gain knowledge on fighting. And you did this all under our noses. Is that right?"

"Um…" Gunner lip twitched nervously. "Yes, but we were going to tell you eventually. Uh… so that is correct."

"How could you do something so irresponsible? That thing could have been dangerous!" Marth lectured.

"Hey, it just happened. It's not like we planned to be in that situation in the first place!" Brawler retorted.

"Maybe during the first time, but what pushed you to use it two consecutive times?" Meta-Knight asked.

Sword wanted to give the reason why but he felt it was too flimsy. So he changed the subject. "I understand why you're angry. But look! Nothing bad happened."

"You were locked in the room during each challenge." PT reminded.

"It was only temporarily and we gained much more than we put in." Sword said. "This whole thing with the crystal was beneficial over all. Besides us gaining knowledge nothing much really happened."

Lucario paw rested on his forehead. When he was ready to speak, he rubbed his fingers off his muzzle and voiced his ire. _"That's not the point, Sword. I don't think you understand why were angry. Am I angry that you pulled this stunt in the first place? Yes. But that's not what really ticks me off."_ The jackal leaned in a closer, his front teeth were visible. _"The three of you intentionally hid this from us."_

The blonde blinked a couple of times. "Is that all…?"

" _Don't you dare try to trivialize this. Trust and honesty are one of the major factors that hold this organization together. If we start mistrusting or keep secrets from one another, this place, our bonds, our ideals, it'll all fall apart. If you had told us about the crystal after the first incident, we could have worked it out. Hell! We might have let you use it under supervision. But no, you had to hide this behind our backs. If you tried this at another less-forgiving organization, they would've kicked you out, or worse."_

Sword and Gunner were rigid to the bone; even Brawler had a hard time moving his muscles under the spotlight.

" _But…"_ His fangs disappeared under his lips; the steam stopped pouring our of his ears. _"It doesn't make sense. I know you three quite well. Each of you generally try to fit in the mansion in your own individual ways, and even some of you push yourselves harder than is needed. I'm going to borrow Meta-Knight's question: What pushed you to do this?"_

Sword looked to the many eyes of the Veterans eyeing him, waiting for an answer. He looked back at his friends then back at them. "It's hard to explain, I doubt you'll believe me."

"Well, try." Trainer encouraged.

You know what? It doesn't matter if it sounds weird. They deserve to know. Sword sighed and then spoke. "When I touched the crystal I felt… strange. When I got the knowledge it made more sense to me. It felt like I was supposed to use this crystal to the fullest and that if I don't something bad would happen. Gunner and Brawler felt it too. We couldn't explain it in words but we knew. We were all meant to use it. We didn't want to tell you at first because we were afraid that you would destroy or keep it locked behind a chest forever. The moment we were finished with the crystal we would have came to you and report everything, with or without Mewtwo. You have to believe us guys."

Lucario stayed silent for a moment. _"Mewtwo, can you show me the orb?"_ The psychic telekinetically lifted the item into the canine's paw. _"I'm not sensing anything from the crystal."_

Gunner stepped forward. "It stopped working after I used it, whatever was powering it up is now gone."

R.O.B. went up to Lucario and examined the crystal with his high-tech eyes. "[If I were to properly examine this artifact in the lab, I could potentially understand its nature. In fact, we need to start an investigation.]"

"Why an investigation?" Villager asked.

"There may be more to the object than we realize." Meta-Knight answered. "Not to mention, we need to know if Sword's claims are legitimate or not."

Brawler's face sucked into a frown, offended by the knight's words. "You think we're lying?"

" _It's standard procedure. I know you're upset but we need to gather all the facts before we make up our minds. Don't be so uptight."_ Mewtwo said.

' _Says the one who never smiled a day in life.'_ Brawler wanted to showcase his hypocrisy but even he knew it would be a losing battle.

"How would you process the investigation?" Sword asked.

"It wouldn't be much different from those detective shows you see on the television." The cigarette was wrapped around his fingers like an eagle wrapping it's talons on its food. "We would look around your room and the surrounding area; conduct interviews, then connect the dots."

"Just like that?"

"Like I said, just like on TV." Snake brought the lighter to the tip and rewarded himself with a nice smoke.

"And after that?" Gunner replied.

Mario walked to the girl, his boots shined bright over the headlights. "We would a then decide what to do then."

"You mean deciding a punishment?" Mega Man assumed.

"It's too early to a say. But worse case scenario, if Sword's statement is proven to a be false, and if the crystal did more harm than a good, I don't know… maybe house arrest."

The blonde swordsman and the shooter were mortified, the fact that the people that have been giving them food and shelter might turn against them was pure nightmare fuel.

"Are you fu*king kidding me?!" Brawler seethed through his teeth, marching up to the plumber and showcased his balled up fist to the Newcomer. "After all the crap we done for you, after we tried to improve ourselves for the better, this how we're being treated?! What a joke! I-"

His rant was cut short when Sword yanked on shirt and pulled him back a bit. "Dude, shush! You're making it worse."

"Mama mia! Calm a down!" Mario waved his arms in the air. "I was just providing a example. I don't think you would a actually be arrest for a this. Those punishments are reserved for the a worse crimes imaginable. We wouldn't a do that do you for something like a this if you were actually guilty."

The fist-fighter rested his hand. "You wouldn't?"

"Yes. I actually think you're a innocent; just victims of misunderstanding and a bad circumstance."

"Yeah, see? Nothing to worry about because we know for a fact that we are innocent. So you can lower your arm down now." Sword tried to forcefully lower Brawler's arm to the floor but the fist-fighter yanked it away.

Marth massaged his temples, when he eventually invites the Mii's to training again, he and Mewtwo need to work on the red one's temper. "Yes, considering your history and personality I don't think either of you had ill intent. Actually, can solve this issue right now. He said looking at Lucario.

"Really, how?!" Sword said.

" _I can use my powers to inspect your aura more closely. It's an invasive ability, however. In order for me to use it, I need your expressed permission to do so-"_

"Do it." Sword nodded in a heartbeat. "If it solves the issue than do it."

" _Alright, lend me your hand."_ The blonde raised his arm to Lucario. The jackal rested his palm on his paw and pressed a finger against the Newcomer's wrist. Sword felt a warm energy flowing threw his entire body as this happened. It oddly felt good.

" _Is everything you told me and everyone here concerning the crystal is the absolute truth?"_

"Yes."

The Pokémon release his arm and gave a small smile. _"He's cleared. His is without a doubt telling the truth."_

"Just like that? That's what all it took?"

" _Yep, just like that?"_

"Huh." Sword tilted his head to the side. "That's… ok then."

With new confirmation from Lucario, R.O.B. took the crystal and set it on a desk. "[Now that we have solid lead regarding the crystal, I'm going to call Zelda; her expertise when it comes to magic would undoubtedly help here.]"

"Isn't the magic gone though?" PT reminded.

"[Magic doesn't just disappear like that. I'm willing to bet the object still has traces of mana for us to observe. Maybe then we'll get a better grasp at what magical art we're handling with.]"

"What if something unrelated caused Sword and his friends to believe the object was affecting them when in reality the object couldn't do that?" Mega Man suggested.

"[That's highly unlikely. But there's no harm in considering that possibility.]"

Brawler became more relived then stiffened right back. "Why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

The fighters, both Veteran and Newcomer alike followed the direction of Brawler's eyesight; a certain Greninja had his arms folded, being pissed at said fist-fighter. "Gre ninja."

Nobody but Lucario and Mewtwo knew what he meant, and they were quite distressed to what they heard. Brawler rolled his eyes. "Buddy, I don't know. What. You're. Saying. Try something else for a change."

Greninja looked around the lab and spotted a marker and clipboard of paper sitting on a table. He grabbed both item and began scribbling away to the black-haired Mii's surprise. The frog twirled the piece of wood around: **"You are dishonorable."**

Brawler's eyelids went up slightly. "What did you just say?"

He scribbled down on the same page and showed it. **"Rude tone. No respect for superiors. No appreciation for what you have. Dishonorable. It's a wonder why they even let you in."**

The fist-fighter head tilted in disbelief, was this frog telling him he was essentially a piece of s*it? The Mii gritted his teeth and slowly walked to the amphibian. "You really think I'm a low-life bastard that deserves to be thrown out of the house like a damn dirty dog."

Greninja flipped the page and wrote one word; heavily underlined. **"YES."**

The Newcomer put his arms to his chest, jazzing his hands around for feigned excitement. "Oh, so you think you're better than me is that it?"

The frog carefully dashed the marker across the paper with true passion. **"Not really. You set the bar very low."**

Lucario tried to break it up. _"Guys, no. Let's try-"_

Mewtwo stopped him by pulling on his shoulder. _"Don't. Interrupting them like this will only make it worse."_

Brawler pointed a finger accusingly. "Listen… _frog._ You don't know a damn thing about me, what I've been through these past few months. Even if you did I doubt you would still understand then. I'm not perfect, alright. No one can ever be. It's impossible."

" **Perfect or not; doesn't justify disgusting behavior."** The frog tapped the side of the marker on his chin in thought before adding something extra for all to see. **"I wasn't planning on staying, but seeing how this is acceptable in blessed place like this. I might want to stay. Show these warriors of soul what righteousness is."**

The fist-fighter resisted the urge to laugh. "Oh so Mr. Froggy is a moralist here, how rich." He stopped moving now; the two of them face to face. "Well I personally hope they don't let you in. We're a crude machine made of individual, complicated, and even sometimes down right soul-rending bits. But we somehow manage to get it together. The last thing we need is know-it-all trying to shuffle things around and making everything worse."

"This is the most sincere I ever seen him do." Gunner commented.

"Yeah… considering his other outbursts this is one of nicest he ever been." Sword replied.

" **That's what you think. A house divided cannot stand."**

"That's what I know, you strange blue frog." Brawler insulted. "You want to fix something that ain't broken, when the hell has the ever worked in history?"

" **When you want to improve the lives of the people for the better. This is much needed considering what's going to be happening in the near future."**

The jackal cringed. That's right. They were so caught up with the issue of the crystal, they never had the chance to tell him and the rest what they found in the forest. Those dastardly hands.

"What are you yapping on abou… you know what I don't care." Brawler insulted again. "People want you here because of your skills abilities, not your utopian mindset. If everyone had the same ideology as you, we'll be going nowhere or straight under, since it directly conflicts with the nature of sapient beings." A devilish smirk appeared on the fist-fighters face as he noticed that the "scarf" was actually his tongue. He mischievously touched the pink organ, just to irate the Newcomer more.

"Well actually, if they do accept you I guess you could have some use here. I bet you'll be very popular with the ladies here with this thing, you could make a living sitting on your knees and-"

Greninja without warning, smashed the clipboard over Brawler's face; snapping the board in two. Shock was evident on everyone's faces; they never believed that could happened.

The broken wood fell on the floor with a thud, the marker following shortly after; No one wanted to breath, they feared they'll choke doing so; the fist-fighter rubbed his cheek delicately, glaring at the amphibian with pure murder.

" **You stupid son of a bitch."** Brawler formed a metal ball in his right hand without effort, cracking it under his great strength. "I'm going to… KILL YOU!"

Snake, Mewtwo, and Mario went into action. Mewtwo telekinetically ripped the metal ball from his hand and grasped it into his paw. Snake went behind the fist-fighter and pinned his arms behind him while Mario lifted his feet up on his shoulders. "Why are you stopping me you fiends?! He hit me first!"

Lucario and Villager bombarded Greninja with rushed words: Lucario tried to apologize for Brawler's action whiles Villager was demanding why the frog would attack unprovokingly. Everyone else was just panicking.

All of a sudden, the crystal began to twitch. It produced a orange hue before blinding the entire lab. When the light cleared, Villager, Mega Man, Gunner, Brawler, Swordfighter, and Greninja were gone.

Snake looked down at his now empty hands. "What?"

"Is everyone alright?" PT shouted.

"I think we're a good, but… oh mama mia! The Newcomers had disappeared!" Mario exclaimed.

Lucario choked momentarily. _"What do you mean they disappeared? They were just right here!"_

"[Look!]" The robot swiped the crystal sphere from the table and presented it to the group. The crystal changed from gray to a reddish-orange color; it was also lighter than before despite being the same size. "[Something's wrong with it.]"

"I thought you said you said the crystal was depowered?!" Samus asked.

" _It was!"_ Mewtwo replied in same disbelief as the bounty hunter. _"This wasn't supposed to happen."_

Right then, Pikachu came bursting into the room, tripping over his own feet and fell on the book he was carrying. "Pika! Pika! Pikachu chu chu!" (Guys! Guys! Something horrible happened!)

"What? What is it?!" Fox said.

"Pi Pika Pi! Pika Pikachu!" (It's Wii Fit! She's Vanished!)

Some of the Smasher's gasped; had the problem just gotten worse?

" _Vanished?"_ Lucario muttered.

"Pi pika pi Pikachu chu pi pika chu, pi pika chu chu pik, PIKA!, pi Pikachu pi pika chu pika chu!" (I was coming back to library when I saw her, I was about to hi when, POOF!, she disappeared right in front of my eyes!)

"My god, it's not limited to the room." Meta-Knight jumped on the desk and announced his warning to the fighters. "Listen up, fellow warriors! We have a code black situation on our hands! We need to search the entire mansion and gather all the fighters. I repeat, this is code black! Go!"

The trophies poured out into the hallway and went their separate ways, before Meta-Knight headed out; he looked in R.O.B.'s direction, wondering why he was just standing there.

"[I need to stay; someone needs to keep an eye on this thing.]" R.O.B. pointed his robotic arm at the orange ball. "[I'll be fine, just go!]"

The knight nodded and sprinted on the red carpet; he fears the worse had already happened.

* * *

 **Hey guys, only one more chapter and it'll be the end of the second act. The next chapter will be significantly shorter, but I promise it'll be good nonetheless.**

 **See you next time.**


	63. Chapter 63: A New World

**Chapter 63: A New World**

No.

Lucario opened the dresser's door and shined a flashlight inside; only dust and tasteless clothes that not even the poorest person in the world would wear. He slammed the door, cracking it slightly.

No. No.

He flipped opened a nearby chest; cobwebs and forgettable trinkets. He closed it in disgust in seeing the black widow moving along it's silk.

No. No! NO!

He ripped the front side of a crate; Styrofoam peanuts littered the floor. He couldn't help it and grounded in frustration. He heard someone climbing up the ladder, the jackal turned to see Pokémon Trainer and his Charizard coming through the trap door. "There you are Lucario, what are you doing here in the attic?"

" _What I'm supposed to be doing!"_ Lucario began digging from the scrap of the crate, ignoring the dusty smell inside. _"They're here somewhere; we just got to keep looking."_

PT lowered the tip of his hat. "They checked everywhere, but they couldn't find any of the Newcomers. They're not here in the mansion."

The jackal paused and faced the boy. _"The beach-"_

"We checked that too. Mewtwo did a scan of this area with his powers and couldn't find their brainwaves. They are not here Lucario."

" _You're telling me they're gone and we have no way of finding them?"_ Lucario said in disbelief. _"We have one of the greatest devices on this planet. The tracker alone made it easy for us to find them. Why can't we use it to find them again?"_

"Because we can't find their signal."

Their feet stood rigid; the dust became harder to breather in; and the darkness became second notice.

" _Their signal is gone?"_

"Every last one of them. We don't know what exactly caused it. But R.O.B. has a theory that they left the WOT. Answered PT.

" _But we can't leave the WOT; it's impossible!"_ Lucario replied. Has the world gone upside down? It was like everything he believed in was being twisted or turned against him.

"That's what I said, but R.O.B. stated he'll go in more in depth of his thinking later on. He's currently informing the rest of the mansion of Master Hand, Snake sent me to fetch you back before R.O.B. explains his case on the missing Newcomers.

Lucario bit his lip; he remembered the window and looked out. He hoped the long landscape far away from the mansion would prove fruitful but saw that the idea was poisonous. _"Those people we lost were family, Red. I can't give up knowing they been whisked away to some uncharted territory."_

"Who said we were giving up?" PT got closer to the window. "You know the entire mansion is not going to let our own be taken from us without a fight. But we can't do anything at this point in time. We got to wait and see."

The jackal pressed his paws against the window sill, letting his head droop to his neck.

" _I'm sorry for yelling."_

"Hm?" PT perked up.

" _In the cave, I thought we lost a Newcomer for the first time in our history. I was so scared and pissed, I guess I needed something to blame and you were the scapegoat. But that was naïve of me; with your body not being able to handle the Smashing arts properly you would have no other choice but to rely on your Pokémon. I should have realized that."_

Charizard was surprised at the upcoming turn of events, but accepted the outcome either way. Good thing he was treating his friend good again.

" _If I knew this mission would have included sneaking around monstrosities I would have done something different but-"_ A small playful slap was felt on his shoulder. "Apology accepted!" The trainer said with a smile.

Lucario was stunned. _"Pardon?"_

"You were stressed I get it. With everything going on I would have cracked a little bit under the pressure too. Before coming up, Snake also told me you put too much pressure on yourself. You need to rest every now and again man."

Lucario politely shook his head. _"I can't rest, especially the turn of events we see ourselves in now."_

"You'll gain nothing by worrying over something you can't control. Besides, you know Lucario's don't operate well under stress for long periods of time. Smasher or not, you're still susceptible to the aliment." The boy was showing his verbal ace, ready to convince the jackal's mindset in the mental game of Poker.

It worked however when Lucario pushed himself off the window. _"I suppose you have a point… Where is this debriefing being held at?"_

"In the dining room, if we hurry we should get there before he explains what possible happened to the Newcomers."

" _Alright, let's see how else I'll be disappointed today."_

* * *

The blue dog and the young trainer approached the sliding door. Loud murmurs and shouts could be heard from the other side, confirming PT's suspicion. "Looks like they already talked about the hands."

Lucario slid the door opened, the voices increased ten fold, it wasn't a full-blown panic but they weren't calm either.

"How can Master be a back? Dedede, Ness and I saw the gaping hole in his a palm. He should have been a dead."

"*Beep beep boop beep!*" (This is a disaster!)

"Never thought to imagine the white hand is strong enough to defy fate as me. No matter, he is no match for the Triforce of Power."

The two joined and blended perfectly with the crowd. They saw Meta-Knight on a dining table, using it as standing for his short stature. "Everyone quiet! Settle down!" The Veteran commanded. "I know you are shocked at this revelation as I am, but that's no excuse the holler and squawk like wild animals. We handled the gloved tyrants in the past, and we sure can do it again if we keep together."

"But this is not like last time. They are obviously planning for something!" Falco evoked. "They're not stealing stuff for fun, that eyeball from the forest is just the latest for some grand scheme."

"What does a teleporting light, a pile of gold coins, and a large twitching eyeball have anything to do with taking over the WOT?" Olimar said.

"Uh… a spell?" The bird replied to the astronaut's displeased face. "Look, I'm just spitting balling here, what do you want from me?"

"Actually, I agree with the bird." Ike announced his presence from the sea of people, carrying the weight of his blade on neck. "Whether it's a spell or a complicated scheme, it's safe to say that we can all agree here that Master and Crazy are planning to use these items against us. How exactly I have yet to understand."

*Pi Pichu Pichu pi, pi chu hu Pichu pi chu pich hu?* (If Master survived, could have Tabuu have survived as well?) Pichu asked.

"Absolutely not!" Snake immediately shut down the notion. "Tabuu is dead for sure. He and the Subspace dimension were connected as one. When the dimension was destroyed so was he."

"*Pichu pic chu, pich pi pichu chu pic hu pich pichu.*" (I don't know, we thought Master hand was dead too.)

"Master and Tabuu were two entirely different entities with two entirely different sets of powers and functions. We just didn't keep a closer eye on the former when we had the chance."

"Oh ah ooh ok oh oh oh oah?" (So what are we going to do now?) Questioned the monkey.

"We go on overdrive, meaning we keep closer surveillance of the WOT and train hard." Meta-Knight affirmed. "Our strategy will change with time but our goal stays the same. We can't afford the hands to gain power over us ever again."

"Yeah, speaking of "us", where are the rest of us?" Ness pondered. "I don't see any of the new guys here at all." The group murmured in agreement. Where we're the Newcomers they grew to be so close to had gone?

Pikachu attempted to speak but Mario gently laid a hand on his head. "It's best if a Mewtwo broke the news, he can phrase it better than a both of combined."

The psychic floated to the robot clearing his throat before speaking. _"They vanished… to simply put it."_

Exaggerated gasps and loud What's bombarded his pink ears, it was followed shortly by many questions from the crowd. He focused his attention on Peach's. "How did the Newcomers disappeared when they were in our base safe and sound?"

Mewtwo telekinetically grasped a spoon and a pristine cup from the table; clinking the piece of silverware together against the glass rim, silencing everybody. _"I'll be willing to answer your questions, but before I do that. There's something that you need to be aware of first, more specifically, how they went missing in the first place."_

"You know exactly how they went missing?" Zero Suit asked.

" _Not exactly; more like we have a general idea o what happened."_ The psychic then proceed to tell the events leading up to the Newcomer's disappearances; the Mii trio finding individual gems; the gems morphing into one large sphere; Mewtwo bringing the Miis to the lab; Brawler getting into a short scuffle with the most recent Newcomer; then finally the actual disappearance itself. What caught Lucario's eye was the fact that Mewtwo purposely left out the detail of the Miis using the artifact to gain more knowledge and skill. Why would he leave it out?

"[This is the sphere we were talking about.]" R.O.B. pulled out the crystal ball and showcased it to the Smashers.

Captain Falcon observed the item in careful detail; then scratched his helmet. "It's orange? I thought you said it was at least three different colors?"

"[It was, but after the disappearances it morphed into this.]" The robotic Veteran then set the ball on the table behind him, making sure it was still in his line of eyesight as he continued conversing.

"Wait! Did the sphere cause the Newcomers to disappear in the first place?" Falco said.

It was hard to tell what exactly was going inside that robot's mind, due to his mechanical body inability to visual express emotions all they rely on word of mouth coming out of… his "mouth". "[I don't know whether the sphere is directly responsible. But I do believe it in someway connected.]"

It was Zelda's turn to speak. Even ripe with anxiety, she still carried the elegant step in her gait. When she got to a comfortable distance. She stopped and spoke. "R.O.B…. where are the Newcomers?"

The robot closed his shutters and sighed. "[They're not in the mansion; they're not on the beach. I don't think they're even in this realm at all.]" He said with no emotion. "[I have very little scientific evidence to support this but, I… I believe that they were teleported out of the WOT.]"

Indescribable shock and awe penetrated the minds of nearly every Veteran in the room. Had the impossible just become… possible.

"No, that can't be it!" Argued the blue avian pilot. "It's physically impossible for us to cross into other realms. Even if a portal leading to another universe opened to us, we still couldn't get cross because our bodies would simply bounce off if we try to jump through. An invisible wall so to speak."

"Yeah, I remember that whole mess. As far as we seen, nothing here is capable of that sort of feat." Snake said.

"Isn't Master Hand capable of extra-dimension travel?" Lucas asked.

"That was before the Subspace Incident." Falco reminded. "After that mess, the cosmic Omniverse put this place on lock down. Nothing can get in or out."

"I don't know about stuff getting in, but I agree with the later." Link wasn't usually the one to get vocal, but he thought now was the best time to speak. "Maybe they haven't exactly left this realm entirely; they could be hidden somewhere very remote. In fact, couldn't they be in a pocket dimension? I know for a fact that there are some around the WOT."

R.O.B. mechanically shook his head. "[No. Even our tracker works in the remote locations and these "pocket dimensions" are an extension of this world. If that was the case the scanner would have picked up the Newcomer's energy by now.]"

"If pocket dimensions are not an option, then how can they leave the WOT entirely then? Any other way would be physically impossible!" Sonic whined. "We're totally blind here."

"[Our vision is impaired, but we're not blind.]" Sonic was confused by R.O.B.'s use of metaphors until he picked up the sphere. "[I told you this item is somewhat linked to the vanishings. It may be the key to understanding on what happened and how to bring back our friends. With our technological and magical prowess here, I'm confident we'll crack this problem, and solve the mystery of the sphere. I know this is quite sudden. But I might need volunteers to help in my studies. Are any of you willing to lend a hand?]"

The questioned resonated through the large room; internal debates raged on in every individual. The Smashers known as Samus and Fox raised their hands. "[I see you too are eager to join.]"

"We've been helpful to the cause, why stop now at a crucial point like this?" Fox answered.

"Yeah." The bounty hunter nodded.

"I'm going to provide my services also." An elegant voice said, Lucario saw it came from Princess Zelda. Her golden hair waved slightly as she stood tall from her chair. "This orb seems to be magical in nature. With my expertise in the arts, we should be able to fully understand this anomaly and bring back our friends!"

At that moment, Lucario saw multiple hands rising up from the sea or people. He didn't know who they belonged to how or how many they were. But that didn't matter overall, he could feel the spirit of the entire mansion; a vigorous resurgence of determination and honor surged through the air. Looks like they'll be having plenty of volunteers.

He raised his blue furry arm up, getting the attention of R.O.B. "[You're volunteering as well, Lucario?]"

" _You know it's not in my nature to just standby and watch. I'll be honest, I don't think my skill set would be much use in the lab but I'll help in anyway I can."_ The jackal admitted.

R.O.B. thought over the Pokémon words, and reworked the proposition. "[Actually, since you brought it up. I don't you'll gain much mileage with a beaker or clipboard.]" The robot replied to Lucario's confusion.

"[I think it'll be best for you, and all parties involved, to go be sent on reconnaissance missions to various parts of the WOT.]"

"But R.O.B." Falco said. "I thought we only do those when we're finding food or gathering Newcomer's?"

"We do, but there has been major change in development." Snake spoke. "With the hands running around, we got to be on high alert. That means we need to find their hideout, as well as gathering necessary supplies and allies we can find."

"Isn't that kind of overkill?" Toon Link asked.

"You weren't there in the war, Toon. But you know just as I that the hands won't go down without a fight. We need to prepare now if we want to win the endgame."

"That's correct; we need to gain the advantage to ensure our chances of success. If one team works on the crystal and multiple teams work on the missions, we'll be taking down two stones with one bird." Meta-Knight said as he hoisted his own sword in the air dramatically.

Falco blinked several times. "I think it's the other way around-"

"[But!]" R.O.B. raised a claw near his chin. "[It's too late to begin those things today. It's not safe to go out at this time at night and I'm pretty sure that many of you are very tired.]" The group was split; some sighed in relief while others whined and grumbled. "[Hey, don't give me that. We'll have plenty of time to accomplish our tasks tomorrow morning. Just get some shut eye, since I don't need to sleep, I'll arrange the preparations for the lab when I get back. Until then, stay safe. Good night and you're dismissed!]"

Lucario huffed. He was in the camp who were displeased with the decision. He knew, however, that it was necessary. The day had taken a toll on him, his eyes were sunken and he smelled like dirt. A nice hot shower accompanied by a warm bed would do him wonders. He only hoped that the Newcomers had the same commodities wherever they were.

After the speech the massive group split off. Most exited out of the kitchen while some stayed behind and chatted amongst themselves. Lucario waved goodbye to Pokémon Trainer as he left the kitchen, after the boy was gone he walked over to the psychic, who was looking over the dinning room in thought before the jackal caught his attention.

" _Mewtwo, do you have a minute?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _When you were retelling events, you left out the part to what Sword and his friends were really using the crystal for. Why?"_ Lucario asked. Mewtwo merely closed his eyes with resignation as he gave his reasoning. _"It wasn't wise to tell them that when the crystal was connected to the disappearances. They might get the idea that those three are solely responsible, betraying them for power at the cost of vanishing somewhere else. But that's simply not the case."_

" _You don't think the challenges and teleportation are not connected?"_

" _The crystal was inert when they completed their trials; something else must have triggered the transportation."_

" _Was it the fight in the lab?"_

" _Perhaps, but it's too early to tell. R.O.B will be the final judge of that revelation."_

" _If you didn't think they caused it, then why-"._

" _Things are tense right now, and they're getting antsy. I know you felt it too. Revealing this now would cause unnecessary drama, unnecessary conflict."_

" _We're noble warriors; we wouldn't dare resort to witch hunts!"_

" _Most likely not, but keep in mind, people do irrational things when they're paranoid. At the very least, this could drive a wedge through the community."_

" _So your answer is to hide it under the rug forever?"_ Lucario narrowed his eyes.

" _Only temporary. We can tell when it's safe. Like Snake said, we have to prepare for the endgame. We can't afford to make many mistakes."_ Mewtwo justified. _"And before you ask, yes, the other agreed with me also. Although they didn't feel comfortable doing so."_

Lucario sighed. Well if people like Snake and R.O.B. agreed. _"Alright, but we're telling them first thing when we can."_

" _Of course."_ Mewtwo said. _"Before I go, I must tell you that R.O.B. wants to have a word with you."_

" _He does? Over what?"_

" _FW. Goodbye."_ The psychic spoke before he teleported out of sight. Lucario was unamused. He really hated it when he did that after a conversation. It's rude to be honest. He shook his head. Never mind that, where is that robot?

R.O.B. was stacking his equipment in a brandish silver tray by the table, getting help from his Snake, they most be moving the stuff from the lab. Lucario walked up to the two and spoke directly to the robotic Veteran. _"R.O.B., there's something you wanted to talk to me about? Something about FW?"_

R.O.B. heard his voice and carefully laid down the tray."[Ah, so Mewtwo did what I asked. Yes there's something I need to show you.]" The robot took off a item off the table and gave it to the jackal. It was a cell phone. It wasn't the kind with the high-tech touch screen and the convenient charging ports, it was one of those old model where it can be flipped open and the buttons were made of plastic than it being digital.

"[The program on the computer finally loaded and materialized this.]" He gestured to the device. "[I checked it already. It has no apps and it can't make calls, only receive them.]"

" _So it's broken? A pencil, a blank map, and a broken phone. It doesn't make sense."_ Lucario was getting confused more than annoyed. What purpose would storing these items hold? If they're not magical then what else? _"Did you find anything in the code?"_

R.O.B. shook his head. "[I only had a short amount of time to do so, I haven't found any new information in the program's files yet. But I'm working on it.]"

' _At least it's not end yet..'_ Thought Lucario. _'Just have to hope.'_

R.O.B. turned his head to his right and tilted in curiosity. "[What's with the frown, Snake? Anything on your mind?]" The solider face had become sour. He was squeezing his bottom in lip in reflection.

"Something didn't feel right when we were using the program today."

Lucario was perplexed, but then remembered the endless rotating circle on the screen. _"You mean when it was buffering for a long time?"_

"Yeah." Snake lightly nodded. "That was a powerful computer back there, but it was having trouble processing the input. Before now, it never did that in our history."

"[To be fair, the data is quite unorthodox.]" R.O.B. justified. "[The computer took so long probably because it was trying to organize the data.]"

"If that's the case, why didn't it buffer the other two times?" Snake asked.

R.O.B. hummed in defeat. "[No clue. Blaming the crystal would provide at least some explanation, but that item entered the room before the computer was buffering. So that would be quite unlikely.]"

" _Yeah, the sphere seems to be a different beast from the program."_ The fighting/steel-type would have found the idea preposterous, but then his brain clicked. The sphere was white, blue, and orange. The program was white, blue, and orange. They were activated in a similar order too, and they got the program from FW… ! _"Oh my Arceus! How could I have not seen it earlier!?"_

His outburst caught the attention of some Smashers in the dining hall; eyeing with bewilderment.

Snake hissed. "Careful, your going to crush the phone!" Lucario looked at his paw and saw he bent the plastic a bit, but once he reduce the pressure the frame when back to normal. _"Sorry."_ He apologized as he put the device on the tray.

"Now. What were you saying?"

" _FW caused the teleportation."_ The canine telepathically whispered. _"That crystal came from him."_

"[What makes you so sure that's the case?]" R.O.B. asked.

Lucario gulped in the ever increasing saliva in his mouth before he explained. _"The program and the crystal have a similar color scheme, and they were both used in the span of three weeks."_

R.O.B. was absorbing the information but was skeptical. "[There are some similarities there, but that doesn't scream to me that those two things were made by FW.]"

" _Two of three of the gems were found during the missions where FW was directly involved!"_ He continued. _"Brawler found his during the explosion at the dam, and Gunner found hers when we fought the ant king."_

"What about the first gem? It was buried underground; then Villager gave it to Sword as a gift?" Snake pressed.

" _We haven't found direct evidence in the field, but it's still possible. Due to FW being precognitive or having information of the future, he could have easily walked there and buried it under the dirt. I refuse to believe the crystal spazzing out and the computer lagging is a coincidence."_

"[Now that does seem more plausible.]"

"How likely do you think that FW is responsible for both items?" The solider asked.

"[I don't know, but the possibility is clearer than before.]" R.O.B. acknowledged. "[I'll make a note of this when I start researching tomorrow.]"

" _Yeah, that's… preferable."_

"[But keep in mind, just because it's seems convenient does not mean it's true in reality. It being a coincidence is still possible.]"

"Well we'll see about that when we get the facts together." Snake replied.

" _Yeah… when we get the facts together."_ Lucario repeated the words meaningful as he stared at the orange glowing sphere. True, there was no proof that they are tied together, but he knew, at the bottom of his heart that FW was responsible for ripping the Newcomers out of their care, throwing theme in an unknown place to fight for their lives. He already promised himself that he'll assist in getting them back. But he also made an additionally promise. _'I'll will find FW, and when I do, I'll make sure he answers for his crimes.'_

* * *

…Why is it so cold?

These were the first words that came to mind in Greninja's head. The relative warm he took for granted has been replaced with bitter wind and sleet. Opening his eyes he saw that he was in snowy field, filled with dead crops and rotten wooden fence.

Where was he? He was in the lab a minute ago why was he outside? Wait, what happened to the moon?

It was hard to tell through the cloudy skies, but it most have been daylight. Looking In the distance, a large barn and house were standing strong, looking majestic despite it's old structure. A farm? That would explain it. Still, where is he?

"Hello! Is anyone nearby? We need help!" A feminine voice called out. It came through the cornfield. It felt like she was in trouble.

"Gre ninja gre jia nin ja. Gre ninja." (Yet someone else who's in need, I'm coming.) The frog muttered to himself as he sprinted through the stalks on frozen maize.

* * *

 **End of Act 2.**

 **Wow, can't believe I'm already through the second act, it was challenging to type but I enjoyed it nonetheless.**

 **I'm going to take at least a 1 month (and the rest of this week) hiatus before I work before I work on the third one. Consider college is around the corner, it'll make things more difficult. But I'll finish this story all the same. Can't wait to showcase the 3** **rd** **act to you when it comes.**

 **Till next time. Leave your reviews if you like.**


	64. Chapter 64: Pesky TractorsRotten Crows

**Chapter 64: Pesky Tractors and Rotten Cows**

The leaves of the corn slapped his ears as he went, the frozen droplets of water assaulted his face and feet, he would have suffered from the cold if he wasn't still fuming from the fight with that hothead. Thankfully, the woman's pleas were becoming louder and clearer. If lady luck was on his side, he'll be able to fix the problem and then he can figure out his next course of action.

Greninja made it through the tall stalks; a green tractor took great prominence in his view of vision the call of distress were coming from the other side. He walked around and came face to face to quite the sight; a human female wearing a blue dress was hovering ever so slightly above the ground trying to help a star-shaped creature whose leg was pinned under a wheel.

The princess caught the Pokémon in the corner of her eye; she whipped out her wand towards him; the stick glowing with sparks. "Who goes there? A frog? Who are you?" She asked confusingly.

Greninja sighed, what's with everyone giving him the cold shoulder of late? Was it the eyes? He does give out the "death glare" pretty well. The frog took a closer look at the princess, she look familiar especially with the color, now where at he seen that dress before.

A recent memory came to the light; during the tour of the mansion, the Pokémon took a lazy glance through a window into the garden, a princess and her star playing in the flowers.

She and her pet must be Smashers; otherwise they wouldn't be living in the mansion. If she supposedly was an ally then was is she pointing that rod in his face. Wait… did they actually got around of warning them of Greninja. That would explain a lot if they haven't. He didn't stay at the mansion for long.

But if she's a Smasher. She most likely wouldn't understand him. Greninja looked at his water knives, and his weapons are not helping the situation either. Oh wait the board! Greninja reached for a side but then remembered, the marker board and the marker didn't come along. Course it can't be that easy.

"Well?" The princess asked, taking a quick glance to the struggling star.

Greninja racked his brain. If he couldn't use the board then how is he going to get his message across? He stared at the snow on the ground then at his kunais. A light bulb shined brightly over his head. He demanifested the knife in his left hand and slowly crouched down, not wanting to startle the princess. He dug his other kunai into the white snow, drawing out a single five-lettered word. **"HELLO."**

The princess saw and nodded, "Hi there. You still haven't answered my question." She asked. "Who are you and what's your business."

The frog wiped the message clean and wrote a brand new one. **"FROG THING. AND NEW SMASHER. HEAR SHOUTS."**

"You're the recent Newcomer?" She immediately sighed in relief and put away her wand. "Oh, thank goodness! I thought we were the only ones here. So sorry about that, I had to take precautions. I'm Rosalina, what's-"

The star creature yelp in distress as it tried to pull its limb away from the tire; the princess immediately kneeled down and comforted her friend. "Don't try to pull, Luma! It'll make the pain worse." Rosalina turned his head to the frog. "Please! I need your help. My luma is stuck under the tractor. I tried to move it myself but I'm not physically strong enough. Will you lend a hand?" She asked in a pleading voice.

Greninja gave his own nod and went to the back of the tractor; he placed both of his flippers on and pushed. He heard grunting on his left and saw the princess attempting to assist him in his effort. Despite that, it wasn't enough to move the big hulk of machinery.

"We're not strong enough, it's too heavy." Panted Rosalina. "There must be another to move this. Don't these things have a key that you use to work it?" It's been a long time since she has been contact with the inventions of Earth, but she knew for a fact that most of the vehicles that humans use had a lock, that which turned, allowed you to command the vehicle.

Greninja lifted his head up to see the dashboard. He dashed over the right side of the tractor and took seat of the driver compartment. The key was still in the ignition, looks likes things are starting to turn around.

The water-type put his fingers on the key but it wouldn't budge. Why was it stuck? "Look the key is frozen!" Rosalina pointed up. Patches of frost and harden snow covered the lock, stone cold.

Greninja scoffed at his predicament. Only a little bit of ice, he won't throw in the towel for a frozen ignition. He turned the key harder than before, using all his strength in his forearm. After a couple of twists… *KRACK!* the key had broken off in two pieces, Greninja looked at the handle dumbfounded as the engines turned on.

The tractor quickly moved off Luma, the moment the star was free Rosalina scooped down and gave her friend a big hug. The tractor was going over many bumps in the snow, causing the frog much turmoil. He tried to slam on the brakes, but he found it to be frozen too.

The vehicle has heading towards a large wooden utility pole standing high in the sky. Seeing how he couldn't even steer it with all the ice on the steering wheel, He jumped out of the tractor and rolled in the sleet.

The green tractor slammed into pole full force. The impact force the tall wooden object to tip forwards right on the frog direction. "Watch out!" Shouted Rosalina as she tried her best to warn her new friend.

Greninja got up on a knee and formed a large water shuriken in his hand, before he can throw it, the pole exploded in many splinters and shards of wood. The frog blinked several times, wondering what transpired until he saw a human dressed in boxer attire with his hand raised up high. "Huh, turns out I'm stronger than I thought. Much be this new universe."

"Little Mac is that you?" Rosalina said as she and Luma floated over the Greninja to help him up.

"Flesh and blood." Mac said.

"How did you find us?"

"Well I woke up in the cornfields and I stumbled around. Heard the engine and came running here." He rubbed his head awkwardly. "Then I saw the pole falling and I put a stop to it." Little Mac answered as he now directed his attention to Greninja. "So Rose, who's your new friend?"

The princess massaged the star's head. "I'd just met him, but he told me that he was the latest Newcomer to come to the mansion."

Little Mac perked up his head. "Latest Newcomer? Oh so you must be Greninja. Nice to finally meet you." The boxer had extended a glove, waiting for a handshake.

"You know his name?" Rosalina questioned.

"Ike said something about it to me before he went on watch. Nice to finally meet a ninja in person." Greninja felt uncomfortable being put in the spot light, but he returned the handshake out of respect. Nothing good will come of turning it down.

"Greninja? That's sounds like a very beautiful name. Has a sort of ring to it." The princess commented. Greninja tilted his head. Were all these people nice as she? No, Brawler proofed that assumption wrong. Still, the Smash Brothers so far weren't too bad of a group to associate with. Maybe he needs more time to think about it.

"So do you guys know how we got here?" Mac asked.

Rosalina & Luma shook her head. "I don't have the faintest clue. We were playing in the garden one moment then in this snowfield in the next."

"I see." Mac acknowledged, before turning to the frog. "How about you, Greninja?"

The Pokémon was in the process of formulating his thought processes when a flurry of fireworks exploded in the distant clouds, the colors of blue, red and white caught three's attention.

"Is that… Villager's fireworks?" Little Mac said.

"Villager? My goodness, there are more of us here!" Exclaimed Rosalina, she flew to the stalks of corn and pushed the leaves aside. "Come on, we need to check it out. Our friends could be in trouble!" She said. Without further ado, the princess, the star, the boxer and the frog ran through the rows of maize, breathing in that nice chill air as they ran to their destination.

* * *

Greninja, Little Mac, Rosalina & Luma were swatting and cutting down the corn like they're chopping down vines in the jungle. They were almost burnt out, but thankfully they made it out of the field.

"That's a lot of fireworks. How are you able to hold on to so many? You pulled out at least 20 from your pocket."

"Hehe. To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Whenever I pull a firework out another one takes its place. Must come with the perk of being a Smasher."

"Well try not to calm down on the explosions, Villager. The sounds are starting to hurt my ears."

Megaman, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer were crowding around a small firework launch on the ground. The yoga instructor and the android held it in place as the young mayor inserted the rockets in, firing the projectiles into the clouds. They kept at it until they noticed Geninja's group, to which they stopped and ran to them.

"So glad we found you guys, things are getting so crazy right now!" Mega Man said.

"Yeah, we've been having our own experiences as well. I guess you three woke up here as well."

"Yep! We were snoozing face-first in the snow. Though oddly enough, it was pretty comfy looking back on it. Though it can't beat a nice warm pillow." Villager remarked."

"Yeah, I don't think that would be much of a contest." Rosalina commented

Little Mac looked up and saw they smoke and sparks fading out. "And I see you celebrating Fourth of July early?"

"It was Villager's plan." Wii Fit pointed. "We thought there were more Smasher's around this farm. So we hatched a scheme to bring any fighter around to our location." She looked at the firework launcher disapprovingly, shaking her head.

"See Fit? It worked!" Villager spoke cheerfully. "And you thought it was a bad idea."

"We don't anything about this farm, Villager." The trainer emphasized. "For all we know there could be monsters hiding around the corn and we would've led them straight to us."

"What dangerous creatures could be lurking around a old farm?"

"Man-eating corn, killer scarecrows, angry farmers wielding shotguns…" Mega Man trailed on. "I'm surprised we haven't encountered anything of that, considering how zany this universe is."

"That's a miracle, and let's hope it stays that way." Wii Fit saw Greninja and observed him in detail. "Oh… you must be the new guy… Greninja was it? It's nice to meet a fresh face around here."

"You already knew of Greninja?"

"Villager told us all about him when we worked on the rockets." The trainer returned her look to the frog. "A ninja amphibian, huh? That's quite unique if I do say so myself, glad we can finally meet."

"Yeah, I know right! Ninjas are so awesome! Especially how they can hide in the darkness and blend in! Not to mention those cool sharp pointy stars-" Villager was silenced as Wii Fit placed a finger on his lips, shushing him sternly but softy. "As much as I would prefer an official introduction, I'm afraid that'll have to wait. We are currently in trouble right now."

"Trouble? What's wrong?" Asked Little Mac.

"Not us, it's the Miis." Spoke the android.

Greninja huffed silently. He _really_ didn't want to meet Brawler again. The princess held a hand to her chin. "Those three are here with you?"

"We found them shortly after we woke up. They're having a major issue with the friend, Gunner." Answered Wii Fit.

"Gunner, there is snow at the bottom. You'll have a safe fall!"

"I can't! It's so high up!"

"What are you, a fu*king cat?! Get the hell down from there!"

A multitude of voices were coming from a nearby barn, no doubt the Miis. It seemed they were in an argument. Rosalina was interested. "Is that them? What are they screaming about?"

"I'll show you. It's right behind the building. Come on." Wii Fit guided the Newcomers to the backside of the barn. They saw Brawler and Swordfighter looking up. They heard the shuffling of snow and directed their attention to them.

"You got more Newcomers? That's very good guys. This place is starting to seem very less lonely." Brawler lazily guided his eyes to the new arrivals but stiffened when he saw the frog.

"You…" The fist-fighter growled as he formed a metal ball in his hand.

"Gre ninja nin ja." (Nice to see you too.) Greninja took up a defensive pose, water blades at the ready.

Swordfighter grabbed Brawler's hand, preventing him from throwing the ball. "No."

"No?!" Brawler asked as if he was offended. "He broke a clipboard over my face!"

"Our friend is in trouble. Your so called "revenge" can wait." Sword said sternly.

Brawler gave the blonde a nasty scowl before tossing the ball to the side. "Fine. But only because the situation is desperate."

"We've been told that you're having some trouble with Gunner?" The boxer asked. "What the problem?"

"Take a look for yourself." The Mii in red gestured to the roof of the building; Gunner was on top, peering down off the edge worryingly. "The three of us woke up on the roof. Sword and I jumped down, but Gunner refuses to jump down for some stupid reason!" He yelled at full volume.

"I'm trying, Brawler." Gunner yelled back. "It's so high! I'm getting dizzy just looking down!"

"Gunner! I know you have a fear of heights, but there's no need worry about crashing hard, remember the double jump trick that Marth taught us? You can do that just before you meet the snow!" Sword said.

"In fact, why the hell are you worried at all? You know we are immune to fall damage! Didn't the training I gave you mean anything?" Demanded Brawler.

"That was fighting! This is totally different!" Gunner replied. "You can just get rid of phobia just like that!"

Brawler face palmed. "Oh fantastic! Another problem I'll have to work when we start training again."

"How long has this been going on for?" Rosalina asked.

"Been going on for a little while." Swordfighter answered. "We been thinking of ways to get her down."

"I suggested we knock the barn down." Brawler complained as he scoffed at the red paint.

"But we can't knock the barn down, Brawler." Mega Man refuted. "We'll destroy private property."

"Yeah, you're right. It'll take forever to bring the structure down." Brawler admitted. "How about we burn it down? That should finally convince her to jump."

"How about we start simple?" Spoke the princess. "Perhaps there's an entry way somewhere on the roof."

Swordfighter snapped. "That's a good idea. Hey Gunner!"

"Yeah?"

"Is there any door or hole on the roof somewhere?"

"Uh… hold on let me check!" Gunner receded back away from the ledge. After several moments, she returned and gave her report to the group's dismay. "There's a hatch up here, but it won't open! I think it's stuck!"

"Well that stinks." Villager whined.

"Now can we burn the barn?" Brawler was becoming more impatient.

Little Mac rose a hand. "Hold up, maybe we can pry open the hatch from the inside. Have you guys tried that?"

Wii Fit shook her head. "No, we were preoccupied with our own tasks."

"Then lets head to the front doors, that plan seems a whole of lot better than just waiting for her to jump." The boxer turned the blue princess, the white star, and the blue frog. Rosalina & Luma immediately confirmed that they were going. Greninja thought they were heroic, despite coming from a linage of nobility. As for himself, he was curious to what may lie within the bar. If they were luck, they could have horses at their disposal; he nodded his head.

"I'll be coming with if you don't mind." Sword said. "How about you, Brawler?"

The fist-fighter shook his head in a heartbeat. "Nah, I'm going to stay here. Gonna try to do some more… convincing."

"In that case, I'm going to stay here with you and watch the kids." The fitness trainer replied. "Mega Man why don't you go with them? I think you'll be a great help in their cause."

"Sure thing, Fit!" Obeyed the android, walking over to the frog. "I'll help them out!"

"Watch the kids?" Brawler repeated. "What you think I'm going to do? Strangle them?"

"You once said babies are the spawn of devil and should be shoved back to where they came from." Wii Fit deadpanned.

The fist-fighter shrugged. "Fair enough."

The Newcomers: Greninja, Little Mac, Mega Man, Swordfighter, Rosalina and Luma went back around, stopping at the front of the barn doors. The red paint nearly was torn off, oddly enough, it looked much well than the entire outside.

Swordfighter used both hands to push on the door. Didn't even budge. "Lock must be busted; maybe we can try the windows?"

"Let me take a crack at it." Sword stepped to the side, giving Little Mac full control. The boxer put one leg forward and one leg back. The dominant arm winded back, spinning several times; then slammed his fist into the door blasting off its hinges. Greninja was still amused by his feat of strength. How can such a human of short stature acquire so much firepower?

"Man, this barn is about to fall apart. I only used a quarter of my muscles." Mac commented.

"Even more of a reason to get Gunner off the roof." Sword replied, stepping in the darkness. "The air stale in here too, I think this barn is abandoned. Still, keep an eye out."

The Newcomers careful poured inside, being wary of staying together. Greninja saw a wooden clipboard that was loaded with paper on the wall by the door. He yanked it off the nail and read it. The first page were instructions on taking care of livestock but the rest of the pages were totally black. There was also a pencil hanging off the clip with a thick thread of string. This wonderful news, he didn't have to rely on dragging his weapon on the ground anymore.

Rosalina clenched her nose, Luma mimicked and put its own limb on its face despite the fact it had no visible nose. "What is that stench? It smells worse than Wario!"

The fighters took their own initiative to use their nose to investigate, and their sense of smell were also assaulted by the unfamiliar stench. "It's coming from all around. I can't see where's it's coming from through."

"I can fix that." Mega Man declared. "I use my flame sword for light."

"Wait-" Rosalina said, still clenching her nose. "We shouldn't risk starting a fire. I'll handle it." She waved her wand several times in front of her eyes; her little stick produced visible sparkles before glowing bright yellow, finally revealing the source of the smell.

"Woah!"

"Is that…"

"There are dead bodies here!"

In each of the rusted stalls and wooden pen, were _bleached white bones_ , several of which haven't even fully decayed yet.

"Mega Man! Close your eyes!" Listen to Rosalina's discretion; he put a hand over both eyes. Not daring to open his fingers.

"Were they… murdered?" Sword muttered, had these been people hiding from the storm?

Greninja eyes were better adjusted to the dark than his partners; he saw something peculiar about the bones so he snapped his fingers, gaining the Newcomer's attention.

"What is it?" The blade-wielder asked.

The frog went to a section of the stalls and peered inside; horns, hooves, and irregular heads. He visible relaxed and turned around, tearing off the first page and scribble on his clipboard. **"Livestock"**

"Livestock? These bones are livestock?" Little Mac asked, causing the android to slowly pull away his hand in curiosity.

Greninja nodded and gestured around the room; there weren't only cows, there were bones of horses, goats, pigs, chickens… every farm animal you can think of was here, and nearly all of them were void of flesh.

"There are so many here." Little Mac said. "Did the owner left them here and forgot about them?"

"It's possible." Sword answered. "If this barn was abandoned, it would make sense for the animals to be abandoned as well."

"That's unbelievably cruel!" The princess became outraged. "Why would any farmer abandoned their own animals?"

"It could be that something happened to the farmer. Something drastic." The boxer trailed off. "Beside you guys and the corn, I haven't seen any living thing on this farm creature or otherwise."

"Maybe they took shelter from the storm?" Suggested Mega Man.

"That still doesn't explain why the animals are dead. It looked like they been here for some time. I doubt the farmer would abandoned their livestock over a bit of snow." The Newcomers looked at the carcasses with unease, they didn't even have files or maggots on them, and they were clean of any buzzards.

"Best not to think about it." Spoke the Mii. "Let's get Gunner down; I don't want Brawler having a brain aneurysm due to his anger." He looked up and saw the hatch. He pointed straight up. "There it is. Now we need to find a way up… is there a ladder around?" Rosalina rotated her wand from side to side. "I see a ladder, but it's on the second deck."

"Rosa, can you go up there and get it?" Little Mac asked.

"No, I can't."

"No? I thought you can fly?"

"I can fly but only a short distance off of any given platform. At best I can reach the deck half way but that's it."

"Well we can't reach the hatch without that ladder. So how are we going to get it down?" Mega Man questioned. Greninja thought of this question as well, and then he suddenly bumped his leg into something. He looked down to see a hay bale scraping on his toes. He surveyed the room and saw that there were more bales stacked around. An idea finally came to him. A solution.

The frog carried the hay bale in both hands and walked to the bottom of the floor just near the deck.

"What are you doing, Greninja?" Rosalina asked.

Greninja stacked another hay bay onto of the other, then pointed to the pile and the deck. Swordfighter snapped his fingers "Awe, I see! We can use the hay to climb up. Good thinking, Greninja!"

The Newcomers started to pile on the stacks of hay, it took time, but eventually they made some make-shift stairs all the way to the deck. Mega Man climbed up the grassy steps and grabbed the ladder with one hand.

"You can carry that in one arm?" Mac questioned.

"I have the ability to temporary increase my strength." The android said cheerfully. "Although it's limited to lifting stuff."

"We finally have the ladder!" Sword exclaimed. "Now up to the hatch."

The android and the frog carefully placed the ladder under the entrance on the roof. Mega Man started climbing on the bars when the princess called out. "Mega Man, are you sure you can climb all that way? It goes up pretty high up?"

"Don't worry princess." Reassured Mega Man. "I've climber plenty of ladders back home, I'm surprised they don't call me: Ladder Man!" Greninja resisted to roll his eyes, that was such as bad joke but he didn't have the heart to write it out.

The other Smashers followed the android right after. Mega Man finally reached the top and push under the metal door, but it wouldn't budge.

"What's wrong now?" Spoke the boxer.

"It's rusted all over. No wonder Gunner couldn't open it." He said. "I suppose you guys didn't happen to find a crowbar while stacking the hay?"

Silence and head shaking.

Mega Man sighed in annoyance. "We can still make this work. Just got to be a little forceful." He let go of his right hand on the ladder, it quickly morphed into a circular saw, spinning fast in a clockwise motion.

"Isn't that a bit too extreme?" Sword asked.

"The opening mechanism is rusted beyond repair, this is the best key were ever going to get." Mega Man careful saw and sliced at the corners of the hatch. He got the door before it fell on his head and tossed it up the hole. "We're out! Let's get Gunner down!"

All six Newcomers climbed up to the roof to rescue their friend, but they didn't find her at all. She was totally gone.

"What? She was here a minute ago!" Sword shouted.

"Did we take too long?" Pondered Rosalina.

"Hey Sword! Check it out!" Shouted from down below. They went to the edge; Gunner was smacking off the snow of her hair and shirt, spitting out clunk of sleet. "Guess what? Little Miss Sunshine over here finally took the leap! Ain't that grand!"

The princess, star, boxer, Mii, android, and frog looked down at the rest of their group down below. Stunned as can be.

"… Did we just went into this barn and did all that work for no reason?" Sword questioned.

"Well… we did discover the bones but yeah… yeah we did." Whispered Little Mac.

Greninja, disgruntle, took out his clipboard and wrote something down for himself to read.

" **It's official. I hate farms."**

* * *

After jumping down from the roof exactly liked Gunner (abet more calculated) they talked about what they seen in the barn; rot and decay on the bones and walls. They were disgusted that such things were near them the whole time, yet they were also intrigued.

"Are you sure the animals starved to death?" Wii Fit asked.

"There were no signs of damage on the bones, so it's very likely." Sword answered. "Then yet again the flesh was already gone. So we can't check for any wounds."

Gunner stared at the barn with, eyes not moving away. "To think I was standing on top of a mass grave."

The boxer scanned around his teammates, and that's when it came to him. "Guys, I just realized something." Little Mac said.

"And what is that Mac?" Questioned the princess.

"Everyone here. We are all Newcomers? What happened to the Veterans?"

Villager rubbed his head in confusion. "Yeah, now that you mentioned it. Where are they? Haven't they transported with us?"

Greninja scribbled on his pad and showed it to the trophies. **"I** **don't know if they have. With how many there are we would have had easier time finding them. Even if they did transported as well, that doesn't mean they're on this farm. They could be somewhere else for all we know."**

"Ok. So what do we do now?" Brawler said. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and I don't think standing by, twiddling our thumbs would do much good."

Rosalina narrowed her eyes over a snowy hill to see a rather large two story house standing firm over the mount. It was in much better condition than the barn. "Over there! On the hill! There's a house we can investigate."

"Yeah I guess we can do that." Mega Man agreed.

"But what if there are still Smashers hiding in the fields? We would could accidentally abandoned them if we stop now!" Villager protested.

Wii Fit groaned. "Villager, I told you. There's no one else in the fields. Besides, we could attract negative attention."

"But we haven't found any monsters so far? And we only used the fireworks for a short time. Remember what Lucario said? Leave no Smasher behind!"

"Kid, I applauded your attitude. I really do? But standing in the snow, with no protection from the cold, and firing color rockets in the fu*king clouds is not a good use of your time."

"Brawler! Language!" Shouted the fitness instructor.

"I am using language. My own personal language. Deal with it. Besides kid, they're professionals. They can handle the problems this world has with or without us."

"That's not a loyal thing to do!" Protested the young mayor.

"There's a difference of being loyal and being delusional."

"Boys, boys!" Swordfighter interrupted. "How about this. Why don't we select some of us to watch Villager shoot the fireworks while the rest of us search the house?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Villager cheered. "That way everyone wins."

The fist-fighter rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm telling you it's a waste of time. You want to learn the hard way. Go ahead." Brawler walked in the direction of the house, taking a head start.

"So stubborn." Wii Fit whispered in a calm motherly voice. "Alright, Mega Man and I will watch Villager as he uses the cannon. When we feel like we done enough, we meet you by the door."

"If you're going through with that plan, it's best to go on the top of the barn for a better vantage point. If any monsters do come by they'll a hard time reaching you."

"We'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice." Thanked the android.

"Yes and- wait! Where's Luma?" The princess turned her head around to see the white star following the Mii in red. "Luma wait for your mother!" She yelled before hovering away.

Despite the situation they were in, Greninja couldn't help but silent chuckle to himself. Kids were such a handful. He waved goodbye to the mayor, the robot, and the trainer as he followed the other group to what awaits them at the old farm house on the top.

* * *

 **Hey guys, Hiatus is over. I'll be trying to release chapters on a regular schedule. Enjoy.**


	65. Chapter 65: What Lied In The Attic

**Chapter 65: What Lied in the Attic**

The Newcomers were walking up the steep hill, it was considered to be easy at first glance, but the snow made it a challenge; too slippery and mushy for proper footing to occur, some of them almost rolled down like a flesh boulder. The prospect of them having to start the climb all over again kept them on their toes.

"God…" Brawler groaned, since his temper had simmered down the cold was finally getting to him. He denied any such discomfort, but the chattering of his teeth betrayed him. "The hill looked so small, dammit, I should have stayed and played with the fireworks."

"I thought you would be up for this? Considering you're an athlete." Sword asked.

"There's a huge difference between working out your muscles in a fight and torturing your legs in a walk." The fist-fighter spat his saliva in the sleet, it already froze. Greninja couldn't help but notice, has it really been that cold, or is the temperature decreasing even more?

"Well at some of us are having fun." Little Mac turned his head back at the firework display. The random bursts of colors had been replace with shapes and images of simple objects such as hearts, flowers, and smiley faces.

"Wow…" Gunner said. "It's been a while since I something like this. Kind of reminds you no matter where you are, the magic always finds you."

"Nah, they're just starving themselves from boredom. The mind craves excitement just as anyone starving for food. It's a part of being human." Brawler pointed out.

"But not all of us are exactly human." Rosalina spoke, Luma floated by her to prove the princess's point.

Brawler stopped and deadpanned at her. "I'm going to take a guess and say that idioms and figures of speech don't exist in space where you come from, right?"

"Oh no, they exist. I'm just pointing out that no all of us are human."

"I know that princess." He grunted. "What are you, a royal smart ass?"

Little Mac sighed, the air of his breath was visible in the cold. "Stop the bickering. We're finally here." The house was finally in walking distant, it looked worse up close: the windows were broken and boarded up with metal planks, the lights were shattered and fried, and dust covered the entirety of the wood. An outhouse would have been more welcoming than this. "Do you think anyone's inside?"

Greninja scribbled on his pad and showed it. **"Only one way to find out."** The frog stepped on the rugged door mat and stood front and center, then he raised his hand into a fist and knocked on the door.

No response.

He knocked a little harder.

Still no response.

"No, no, no." Brawler side-lined the Pokémon, shaking his head is displeasure. "In a situation like this, you have to be forceful." He banged on the door hard enough to leave a dent. "Hello! Anyone one inside? We need help right now! Don't be a dick and leave us out to freeze! You don't want to have a guilty conscience do you?"

Yet again, still no response. Just dead silence.

"I think no is living inside, just look at the state of this house." Rosalina said. "Still, what happened to the residents?"

"Who cares where'd they gone. It's literally free real state, and it's time to move in." Brawler turned the knob and tried to push the door in, but found it to be locked. "Of course, can't be that easy."

"I'll pop it open." Little Mac took the fist-fighter's place on the mat. He winded up his fist before slamming into the wooden. It left a massive dent, but it still didn't budge. "…Or not?"

"Well that crosses off the normal way." Sword observed. "Maybe there's another entrance we can try?"

"I'll go see if there's a backdoor." The boxer left the group and went behind the house. He found a door, but it was just locked tight as the front. He came back on told his team the news. "…Yeah, the doors are a dud. We need to be creative here."

"How about the windows?" Gunner suggested.

Little Mac shook his head. "Those boards are metal, not wood. It looks to be very new too, don't see any rust on it. I don't think my muscles would be able to get through them with how thick they are. And certainly without causing structural damage to the house."

"Well house else are we going inside?" Brawler questioned. "Unless anyone here can teleport we are screwed."

Greninja, observed the house in detail, looking for a weakness: The doors were blocked and the windows were boarded, but on top of the roof, was a well-kept chimney, it was the only part of the building the seemed to be in decent condition. He snapped his fingers to get the group's attention.

"Yes?" Asked Sword.

He scribbled. **"We can use the chimney."**

"Chimney?" He looked at the rood. "Oh you're right, there is a chimney. Good eye."

"That's one way we can get in, but we would need a way to get up there." Rosalina said.

"Could we use the ladder from the barn?" Asked Gunner.

"Possibly, but it'll take a lot of effort, and it's becoming sunset. Not to mention it would be a challenge bringing that ladder up the hill. There's has to be another way." On cue, Luma floated and babbled, directing the group's attention to the side of the house. They came, and saw the downspout poking the snow and leading up the tiled roof. "Perfect! Thanks for helping us out Luma, you're such a good boy." She patted the star on the head causing it to blush.

"So we found a potential way in. So who's going to go up though?" Gunner thought aloud. The fighter's stopped and looked at each other, who was going to step up? Greninja can answer that question, the frog stepped forward and showed his clip board. **"I volunteer."**

"Who says you can make that call?" Spat Brawler. The Pokémon was becoming more irritated, must he make quarrel over every decision he's involved in. What would cause a man to be so spiteful? Well, he did smash the previous clipboard on his face but that over and done with. It was something more, but that'll have to wait.

" **The drain can support my weight, it'll make it easier to climb."**

"Mega Man, Villager, and Wii Fit are light too." He reminded.

" **But the chimney, there are usually tightly compacted and narrow. Don't you think it's the best idea to send the thinnest member through the thinnest entrance?"**

"You sure up for that, Greninja?" The boxer was concerned. "I heard a story of a woman getting stuck in a chimney once in Missouri, she almost starved to death until the paramedics pulled her out."

Greninja appreciated the sentiment. **"I'm agile, worse case scenario, I'll pull myself up my clinging onto the brick."**

Brawler bit his lip. "Fine, you win. But if you get stuck it's your fault."

Greninja narrowed his eyes. **"I'll kept that in mind."**

"Alright, we'll be waiting here at the entrance. Just be careful." Said Gunner. The amphibian nodded and put both hands on the pipe, using his full body strength, he quickly climbed up and reached the roof. He ignored the jagged texture of the tile and walked to the chimney. It was pitched black inside.

He pulled a loose brick from the chute and dropped it inside. *CLANG!* It hit the bottom alright. But the sound of the landing sounded like stone against stone rather than the chunk hitting metal. That would mean the chimney isn't locked. That's good.

Greninja hopped on the edge of the brick and dangled his feet down inside. He didn't like the idea of going blind, but the cold weather were making things more desperate. Oh well, it's just a short fall, nothing more. If he gets stuck, the best thing he can do is blast himself up again with the water.

He took a lungful of air before pushing himself off. With that, he fell in.

* * *

In a span of seconds he landed on the bottom of the fireplace, his impact caused the ash and dust inside the blow up, causing him to cough momentarily. Crouching, he went under the tiny gap of bricks and was officially inside.

He was… in the living room, he figured based on the couches and the television that took up the majority of the room. But that was not all, they were other… signs that did make the house welcoming. A plastic Christmas tree stood in a corner, but there were no presents underneath, just torn wrapping paper and bows.

He found a light switch a flipped it on, no power. He saw burnt candles placed all over, had the residents forced to resort to such medieval methods. No matter, at least the light from the windows aided his sight.

But the most disturbing part was the sleeping bags and soiled mattresses. They've been awkwardly placed near the Christmas tree. Empty food cans were littered by the two objects, and a big dark stain of red covered both a section of the floor and the sleeping bag.

Greninja felt queasy. The blanket on the mattress. It look too small to be used by an adult. There were children here? And that bloodstain was so big. Could there have been an accident.

The frog heard banging on the front door. "Hey froggy! Are you going to help us or not!" Of course it had to be Brawler. "This door is not going to open up itself!" Greninja had the mind to yell something at him but he refrained, what good would a verbal scolding do if the person can't understand you.

The Newcomer went into the hall next to the living room and saw the door. Not only has it been locked, they had been a metal chair propped against the knob. No wonder they couldn't get in.

He dragged the chair away from the door, placing it against the wall and unlocked the entrance. He gripped the knob in a relaxed state before opening it inward. "Took you long enough." Brawler said, doing his best from ignoring his presence as he stepped inside, the rest of the Smashers followed suit.

"Heavens, look at this place." Rosalina was taken aback by the state of decay that was ever so presence in the halls. She talked to Greninja. "What happened here?" The frog took out his pencil and scribbled.

"How long until we can verbally understand him, Sword?" Gunner asked.

"I don't know, but Snake said that the more he talks the quicker we can properly communicate. I guess your mind has to get used to it."

Greninja didn't understood a lick of what he meant, he'll have to talk to him about it later. When he was done, he turned the clipboard around to the princess. **"Someone lived in the house once, but something went wrong. There was blood."**

"Blood?!" Gunner squeaked. He pointed to the spot where the sleeping bags were. The Newcomers piled in the kitchen, silent as the dead.

"Yeah… I'm willing to bet that this didn't came from a simple nosebleed." Sword said. "It's dried, whatever happened here occurred a long time ago."

"So that means whatever happened here won't happen to us?" Little Mac hoped.

"We can't bleed but that doesn't mean it is safe." Brawler pointed out. "The first thing we need to do is to scope out the place. Since night will approach soon, might as well get accompanied with this house."

Rosalina looked out the window, the clouds were getting darker. "Yes, having a shelter would be most preferable."

"Well this ain't the mansion, but it's better than sleeping outside." The stairs that led to the second floor caught his eye. "I think it's best for all us if we check the rooms, hopefully we'll find something useful."

" **Shouldn't we wait for the rest of us to come here before we start?"** Scribbled Greninja.

Brawler scoffed. "Villager and his friends know where we are. Those guys are still fooling around those fireworks. Don't come to them, let them come to you when they're done with their damn signal."

"Alright, I'm going to search the second floor. How about you Gunner?" Sword asked.

Gunner didn't feel comfortable in the spotlight but answered. "I would like to go upstairs as well."

"Ok. Brawler-"

"Right here." The fist-fighter said as he went down a different corridor, opening the door and closing it. Sword's eye twitched with annoyance, he took a deep breath and turned to the other three Newcomers. "How about you guys? What are you going to search?"

"I want to search here." Rosalina said. "The living room seems more promising."

"I see. Little Mac?" I want to go down the other corridor." The boxer gestured with his gloves. "There's a lock on one of those doors, I'm going to try to break it open."

Sword nodded, last was Greninja. The frog didn't wait for his roll call and drew the words on the page. **"Same as Little Mac, but going to try different door."**

"That's fine. We're going up the stairs now. If Villager, Wii Fit, and Mega Man knock on the door. Open it. And if there's a problem, don't be afraid to holler. Good luck." Sword and Gunner bid them good luck as they went up the stairs. Leaving the three alone for now.

"Yeah, of course. And if you two need help with the lock, Luma and I can give a hand." The princess gave a wink as she bent down and inspected the sleeping bag. The boxer and the Pokémon walked down to the end of the hall. Two doors were there. One door on the left. And one door fitted with a padded lock on the right.

Greninja expected the left door to be locked as well but to his convenience it opened with no resistance He looked at his partner, gesturing to him if he wanted in but Mac shook his head. "It's all yours buddy. I still have to deal with this lock. Just come back later if I can't break it." The frog brought out his water knives and closed the door behind him, being wary of any present dangers living in this house.

He was in a garage, he could tell because there was a bright red pickup truck in the center of the floor. It was by far, the most well-kept object in this building, save for a few missing scraps of paint chips. The Pokémon opened the car door and looked at the dash; no car key. Well, assuming if the vehicle's gas tank or battery is remotely full they can hot wire it. Greninja then thought of the time he tried to fix a simple light bulb… yeah that didn't go well. Best to find the keys first before resort to such actions.

Closing the door, the blue fighter surveyed the rest of the garage. There a couple pieces of junk lying here and there. But what peeked his interest was the board and shelve on the back wall. On the shelve were boxes and pins of tire, head lights, nuts… all sorts of parts for fixing a car. The board was long rectangular piece of metal that had been screwed into the wall, loads of tools were hanging off it. Hammers, wrenches, and bolt cutters were only some of the equipment he saw.

There was one tool missing however, he could tell by the section that was not covered with dust that it was a handheld drill. He looked around the room, it was not in the garage, wonder where it gone?

The banging from the hallway became louder and louder. By the sounds of it, it looked like Little Mac has having trouble with his door. Greninja was about to leave but the hammer was begging him to take it. Maybe this will help the boxer.

He exited the garage and witnessed Little Mac attempting the break the door open in a similar fashion to what he did to the barn. He stopped when he saw the Pokémon. "Done already?" The frog nodded. "Great. Maybe you can help me with this." The boxer grabbed on the rusted padlock. "You don't happen to know any lock picking tips do you?"

The frog smirked and brought out his hammer and a water kunai. He inserted the knife into the keyhole and directed the head of the hammer on the handle. He got it lined up, he slammed the hammer. With a single stroke the shackle broke off, allowing the lock to fall to the floor with a klang.

"That's one way to open a door." Little Mac gripped the knob with his glove. "Let's see what they were trying to hide in here." He pushed it forward.

It was a bedroom. A kid's bedroom.

Conflicting colors of blue and pink covered separate halves of the room. Dolls, action figures, tea cups, and toy guns were dumped around the rug as if it had been ransacked. In the corner, there was a bunk bed. The names on the headboard had longed been scratched out.

Little Mac was horrified. "My god… kids were living here?" He knelt down and picked up a teddy bear off the floor. One of its eyes had been ripped out.

Greninja scribbled. **"The farmer here must have had family. Still, doesn't explain why the door is locked."**

"You don't think… something happen to them right?"

The frog stared at the missing eye of the teddy bear as if it would had given him the answer. But just like the house, it too remained silent. **"Can't say for sure. Hope they just left this farm and nothing else."**

"Yeah." Little Mac agreed. "That's probably what happened. It has to be."

"I see you guys were having a fun time." A voice said behind them, they turned around to see Brawler leaning against the doorway. "Aren't you two too old to be playing with dolls?"

"No we were just, uh…" Little Mac turned to the teddy bear again, he set it down on a dresser and resumed conversing with the Mii. "This door was locked. We wanted to find what was inside."

Brawler attention was at the bunk beds. The frog sensed a twinge of anxiety and disgust before facing the two Newcomers. "Yeah I can see that. Didn't you saw this door was locked? That's a waste of a lock."

Greninja wrote on the pad. **"Have you finished your room?"**

Brawler frowned but answered the question. "Wasn't much to finish. Just a small broom closet."

"Did you find anything important or significant?" Asked Little Mac.

"Aside from a couple of dirty coats and black shoes, I would have said no. But then I found this." Brawler pulled out a revolver from his pocket, it was shiny, even in the environment of the house.

"A gun?"

"Was in a shoe box on the top shelf, best part, it's loaded. This is definitely a keeper" Brawler inserted the firearm back into his pocket.

"Keeper? You're stealing it?" Spoke Mac.

"It's not stealing if the original owners abandoned it." Brawler retorted. "After all, who the hell forgets their gun in a crisis? I sure wouldn't."

" **Is that all that you found?"** Greninja pressed.

He frowned again. "Just a couple of shotgun shell but no shotgun. The owner must have been at least smart to take that with him."

"Attention! Gentlemen! Are you done searching?" Rosalina called from the living room.

"Yeah just about. Why?" The boxer asked.

"I found something, you need to read this."

"Can't it wait?" Groaned Brawler.

"It could. But this is very important. I advise you not to do so." The fist-fighter sighed and looked at his teammates. "Let's see what our royal highness has in store for us."

The Mii, boxer and the frog walked down the hallway and into the living room. The found Rosalina towering over the sleeping bag, Luma was hugging her leg in an attempt to quell her discomfort. "Alright, what did you find?" Asked Brawler.

"I found this." Rosalina picked what something up from the sleeping bag and showed it to the men. It was a bunch of newspapers, they were heavily damaged; pieces were torn out, a majority of the ink was washed out but it was still readable. "It was hidden under the covers."

"That's interesting I suppose." Little Mac took the papers from her hands. "But how is this important?"

"Read the sections." Rosalina said. "It gave me insight on what might had happened to this place." Greninja examined the newspapers. There were three into total, the title of each section had been written in bold. With the go ahead. The three of the read from top to bottom.

 **Mining Accident Shocks Local Town!**

On (indecipherable), the mining town of (indecipherable) suffered one of its greatest tragedies today. The mining team that had been associated with the town for many years had all perished in gruesome yet mysterious circumstances within "Old Cave". The team had been originally digging in the cave to retrieve gold and minerals to supply to the company, but when rescuers went to down for rescue, they found that the miners had (indecipherable)

 **Police on High Alert after Rash of Murders and Disappearances!**

(Indecipherable) over (indecipherable) had been missing since September, and (indecipherable). The most notable had been when an entire class from Brokehaven high had (indecipherable)

 **(Indecipherable) High Alert!**

(Indecipherable) governor of (indecipherable) had issued (Indecipherable). "Lock your doors and trust nobody." (Indecipherable).

The three of them were stunned by the contents of the papers. Brawler blinked several times before uttering. "Well that's just fine and dandy for us isn't it?"

"If this story is true. Then it would explain why everything is a wreck." Little Mac surveyed the house in heightened tension. Maybe breaking in was a bad idea. "The question still stands? What happened here?"

"Well whatever it was, it sounded to be apocalyptic." Brawler said.

"We don't that!" Rosalina held onto hope that this was only an isolated case and didn't affected the entire country. "Still, the fact that governor directly told the people to bunker themselves down is not a good sign."

" **We need to tell Gunner and Sword."** Scribbled Greninja. **"They need to know. I'll do it."**

"Now hold up, buddy!" Brawler sarcastically spat. "That is my team you're talking about. It's my job to inform them of stuff like this, you don't know how their personalities work." The fist-fighter stood his ground. "Besides, they're busy right now. It'll be rude to bug them at this moment."

" **AAHHHHH!"**

The sounds of a female screaming came from above the stairs. It came Gunner. The four Newcomers ran up the steps, they rounded a corner to find a ladder leading up to the ceiling. Gunner scurried down the ladder bars and slumped to the floor, shivering in terror. Her eyes were drenched in tears.

"Gunner!" Brawler knelt to her side immediately. "We heard you screaming your throat out! Where is Sword?"

Gunner opened her mouth but found it hard to speak, eventually, the words slowly came out. "… It's… occupied."

Brawler tilted his head before staring at the chute. He told Rosalina. "Look after her." Before climbing the ladder as well. Greninja, wanting to get to the bottom of the shooter's discomfort followed the fist-fighter as well.

The two of them entered the attic, it was by far the darkest place in the house but some parts of the area was somewhat lightened. They found Sword standing still, cold sweat was on his arms. He reluctantly breathed in and out.

Brawler and Greninja went by his side and shook him. "Sword! Gunner was freaking out. What the hell happened?" The blonde gave him a slow glance, then returned his sight straight forward. Greninja followed his eyes, and froze.

He truly understood what lied in the attic.

Two small humanoids, boy and girl were lying on the ground. Each with a hole in their head. A drill with pink residue on the drill bit laid by them. **They were so young…** On the side, there were two larger figures; a woman in a red dress laid lifelessly on the floor, half over her face was missing. It was impossible to tell whether the dress is red from natural dye, or her blood. Finally, resting on the chair, was the corpse of an adult male. Its head was gone, the shotgun resting on his chest gave enough insight on what occurred. But worse of all, the smell was awful. Greninja despite his well versed training, puked a little on the floor. It was unbearable.

"What the f*ck?..." Brawler whispered. Greninja never seen him so humble. "How-"

"We found them up here. They are the family that lived here. Gunner couldn't handle it, to be frank, neither can I."

Greninja saw the bodies in all its detail. There weren't even flies on them. Were they murdered… or did they do it to themselves. That newspaper had to be connected to this horror show, but what events that had transpired that could have led to this? Has hope abandoned this place after all?

"Oh hey it's you guys! How was the fireworks?!"

"It's was good I guess but nothing really happen. I feared that we are the only Smashers around this place."

They heard them talking downstairs. One of the voices were new. Desperately wanting a change of scenery, the fist-fighter, the blade-wielder and the frog went down the stairs to find Wii Fit, Villager, and Mega Man had joined them in the house as well.

"Oh, you guys are finished already?" Little Mac asked. "Wii Fit and her crew wrapped up their firework show."

The mayor rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah I didn't work out as much as I wanted but at least no monsters came at us at least!" he said with a smile.

"Although the climb here was kind of tiring." Mega Man said.

"But at least we made it up here! And by the looks of it you guys seem to be having more fun than we are!" Villager spoke.

Rosalina was still patting Gunner when they noticed the sunken expressions on the faces of the two Mii's and the Pokémon. "Um… what did you find up there?"

Swordfighter didn't dare break the news to them, he didn't have the heart to. Memorizing the waste of blood and guts up there would be too revolting for his tongue, for his soul. Instead he only said a couple of words. "Turns out we're not alone in this house."

Wii Fit was confused and looked at the entrance of the attic. She began to climb the ladder, Little Mac followed her soon after. Greninja debated whether he should stop them from entering, but he figured it wouldn't do any good. It'll only delay the inevitable.

The fitness trainer and the boxer screamed in horror when they reached the top. Villager, Mega Man, Rosalina, and Luma stared at the hole in confusion whiles the rest of the Newcomers looked away from the ladder in nausea.


	66. Chapter 66: And What Happened

**Chapter 66: And What Happened**

The stairs to the attic towered over them, showing off its dominance to all to see. Daring anyone to bear witness to the horror it's eager to present. The Smashers were standing at the very bottom. Word had officially spread around. Some were fine but others were shaken up.

"We have to search that room." Sword said, invoking mixed responses from the group. It was hard to get the words out. But someone had to break the ice. "It's the last place we haven't checked."

"Checked? But we already did." Gunner strained her face to make a convincing argument.

"Screaming in horror and fleeing doesn't count." Brawler pointed to the square hole. "We need to make sure this place is a hundred percent safe. Well… safe as it can be."

"You really want to go up there? Knowing what lies on the… I can't even think of it without freaking out. This is so scary." Villager shivered from the chill of the room; being sheltered in a nice little town didn't do any favors for him.

"I have to agree." Wii Fit tried to distract herself by rubbing her wrist. "There could be something of use up there that we might need."

Greninja scribbled on his pad. **"This is a grave. We shouldn't mess with the dead."**

"I don't like the idea either." She snapped before taking a quick breath. "We don't know where we are and we need all the supplies we can get. We have no choice in the matter here."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. They won't exactly need anything anymore since they're need. Still, that room gave me bad vibes."

"Of course it did, that place was damn bloodbath. I couldn't tell was murder or suicide." Commented Brawler.

"Do you think we could find out what happened there?" Gunner asked.

"Like investigate the scene?" Sword replied, to which the shooter nodded.

"Ms. Gunner could be onto something. They could have left a message or a journal before they perished. We could possibly even have an explanation for what happened to the farm." Suggested Rosalina.

Luma nodded.

"But that place very uh dim and it's kind of…" Little Mac trailed off.

Greninja scribbled again. **"Off-putting?"**

"Yeah exactly. And I'm also pretty sure that none of us are detective's either. So we're going to be amateur here. Wait. Mega Man. You're have a lot of tools in your body, do you have an analysis device or something similar?"

The android shook his head in disappointment. "I have plenty of gadgets but nothing that would help us. The best I can do is lit the area with my flames. That's about it."

' _At least it's something.'_ Thought Swordfighter. "So all of us have to go up there then?"

"All of us? You want the children to see that horror show?" Asked Brawler.

"Good point. Considering how some of the people reacted. Maybe just separate the group and take it up to a vote. One group goes in, the other doesn't."

The frog showed the paper to the Mii in blue. **"What do the group that stays does in the meantime?"**

Brawler peered over Sword's shoulders and groaned. "What does Group B do? F*ck, I don't know. Stay put and count the dust?" Greninja narrowed his eyes, not out of frustration this time but out of suspicion. Was he being nice? He'd never believe it if he hadn't just witnessed it. Could it be because of the family?

"They can scan the farm using the windows of the house. Making sure nothing comes near. They can also search the house a second time for good measure." Spoke the android.

"That's sounds much more beneficial. Alright, let's start the vote. Those that want to go to the attic raise your hands." Announced Swordfighter.

Sword was the first to raise his hand, then followed by Wii Fit, Brawler, Mega Man and Greninja

"So only five of us. We can work with that."

"Sword do you think that's wise to allow Mega Man to go in the attic?" Asked Rosalina.

"Hm?"

"He's a robot but he has the mentality of a child. The scene up there would scar him for life."

"He was fine when he went into the barn. He didn't even freak out." Brawler pointed.

"Actually." The android raised a hand to get the group's attention. "I was kind of shaken up by the experience."

"You were? You looked very calm in the barn. If it was bother you then why didn't you say anything?" Sword questioned.

"I wanted to help Gunner out and I didn't want to be selfish by backing out." Mega Man shifted nervously. "I can also hide my emotions by temporarily deactivating my facial muscles. That's why I looked calm."

"You wouldn't think any less of you did. Those animals in the barn did looked pretty ominous." Assured Wii Fit. "I agree with Rosa, we shouldn't allow Mega Man up there. If he was shaken up by the barn, I don't know how he'll react up there."

"Ok… But it's so dark up there." Said Brawler. "Without Mega Man's flames how are we going to see properly up in that room?"

"I can help with that!" Villager reached into his pockets and pulled out a small jar filled with a handful of fireflies. They glowed a bright yellow in his hands. "This would be very useful."

"What?!" Brawler snatched the container in his hands and stared at it with disbelief. "You had this in your pocket the entire time?!"

The kid put his hands behind his back. "Yeah. My pockets can hold lots of stuff. That's also where I put my net, bowling ball, fireworks…"

"You can put all of that stuff in your pockets?" Little Mac was amazed. "How?"

"I don't know exactly. When I found out I had this I asked R.O.B. about it and he told me I have a "localized pocket dimension" in my shorts. I don't know what that means but he said I can store a limited amount of items inside. So that's cool I guess."

The boxer's jaw dropped. "I never knew… So what exactly-"

Brawler having known beforehand of Villager's quirk interrupted and pressed. "We've been looking for a viable light source since we search this house. Why didn't you speak up earlier about this?"

"Uh…" Villager face turned into a guilty sheepish grin. "I forgot?"

The fist-fighter strained not to crush the jar by accident. "You little… you know what? This is more important of my time. Let's get this over with." He handed the jar to Sword. "Here, why don't you be a little flashlight. Better in your hands than mine."

"I want to go too." Voiced a timid voice. The group turned to the left to see Gunner pulling herself off the floor and standing up.

"Sorry. Did I hear that right? You want to come with us?" Said Sword.

"Yes that's right."

"Really? Not that I'm complaining on your spurt of bravery, but what made you step up to the challenge?" Questioned Brawler.

Gunner rubbed her wrist nervously as she looked away. "I was always the guy that didn't like to fight, the guy who freezes at the thought of battle. A handful of the guys back home think I'm the weakest link-"

"Sweetheart. That's not true-"

"It is Rosa. It is. And I don't entirely blame them. I wasn't putting in the effort because of my troubles. But now we're slowly approaching the event horizon. Master Hand is coming back to enslave us all, the WOT is in danger, and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. I can't keep acting like… like a coward. Going into the attic again, may not be much in the long scheme of things. But it might be a stepping stone of me becoming strong and independent. Please, let me come up there."

Sword remained silent, he turned to Wii Fit for a second opinion. "It could help her control her anxiety. It's not like we have a therapist on hand."

The swordsman nodded. "Okay. You can come with us. Just try to remain calm."

"I'll try."

"Ok. That's five then. We'll be going now. If you encounter any problems just give us a holler." Sword asked Rosalina.

"We shall. Good luck." Sword nodded to the princess as he began following after his team that had climbed up the old ladder, upon reaching the top he placed the jar on a nearby table. The room became much brighter as a result… and so were the bodies. For some reason, they looked much worse than they did before.

"Man… such a loss of life." Said Wii Fit.

"Yeah. I-It's wrong." Shooter had some courage inside her, but she didn't want to look at the bloodbath, she focused her attention in the far corners of the room instead.

"This place is a bit bigger than I expected, we should split up and investigate certain areas of the room. It'll be more efficient." Spoke Sword, feeling nauseous. "Since there are usual circumstances regarding the bodies, we should separate there as well. I'll investigate the adult one's with Wii Fit. Is that fine?" He asked the pale white woman.

"Sure. I'll assist in any way I can." The trainer asked.

"And we need another group for the bodies-"

"I'll do it." Announced Brawler. The fist-fighter looked at the small figures with great solemn, he never knew these children. But somewhere deep down inside him, it was like an ancient part of his brain was activated, something that felt unrecognizable yet familiar. Paternal Instinct. "So you quit it with the "please raise your hand" stick."

Greninja walked by him and stood by his side. "What?" The Mii questioned.

" **I'm going to investigate as well."**

The Mii stood there unmoving. The he slowly nodded his head, barely putting the energy in. "Alright… Alright. Just be mindful."

As they were deciding, Sword noticed that Gunner was walking off from the scene. "Gunner? Where are you going?"

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around. "I've been thinking that there might be useful clubs near the corners and edges. Stuff that would be easily missed, I could even find supplies up here if we're lucky."

"Makes sense. Ok everyone, have at it. And remember if you see something very important or if you think that's something dangerous here, don't be afraid to holler."

The five were in unanimous agreement. Gunner walked off whiles Brawler and Greninja crouched by the children. Sword talked to Wii Fit. "You ready?"

"More than ever. Let's try to put the pieces together."

Both of their noses twitched when they got closer to the man and woman, thankfully the dust help reduce the severity of the odor, but that wasn't much. "So… cause of death was damage to the brain?" Asked Sword.

"I don't see any other fatal wounds, so you're probably right." Wii Fit took in a deep breath before focusing an eye on the headless neck of the man before cringing in disgust. "Still can't believe we actual found a dead body, let alone four. Its looks so real, it's nothing like the movies."

"There are no flies or maggots on them" The Mii observed. "Could it be that those type insects can't survive in this kind of weather?"

"I'm not an entomologist, so I can't say for sure." Her bare foot touched an empty shotgun shell and suddenly Wii Fit wished she'd brought some more shoes.

Sword carefully and respectfully took the shotgun that laid upright in the man's lap. He emptied it out. "Looks like this was designed to hold three rounds, and two of the shells are missing. This is definitely the weapon that killed them. Still, why would they commit suicide?" He muttered to himself. He laid the shotgun on the same table with the jar on top and turned to see Wii Fit searching his pockets.

"Sorry about this." The Newcomer said as she rummaged her hand through the left side of his pants. She pulled out a wallet and keys. "Hm?"

"Are those keys?" Sword inquired as he got closer.

"Yeah, car keys." She handed him the old key chain into his palm.

"I saw a pick-up truck in the garage in the search. This has to belong to that." The Mii brought the keys closer to his eyes in wonder.

"Do you think that car still has gas?"

"We'll have to check later. What else did you find?"

"Only his wallet." Sword took the wallet as well and flipped it open. "Name is John Doe, age 47. There's a picture of his family here at what appears to be an amusement park. They looked to be a happy family. I didn't know you Joe, But I hope in your lasts moments, you and your family found peace." He set the two items on the table. "Did you find anything else?" He turned to Wii Fit.

"Hold on." She checked the other pocket. "Huh? Why does he have this?"

"What is it?" Sword said. Wii Fit showcased an orange bottle in her hands.

"He had a med bottle, it's emptied." She read the label. "Apparently it's sleep medication. Perhaps he had sleeping problems?"

"Considering the newspapers of what happened, I would have trouble sleeping too." Sword then narrowed his eyes, there were some marks on the man's neck. "You see that?"

"See what?" Wii Fit asked.

"On the guy's neck. Are those scratch marks?"

The instructor inspected collar to see three distinct claw mark on the lower portion of his neck. "Yeah, you're right." Wii Fit went closer. "It's pretty deep too."

"You think an animal cause this? We didn't see fur or anything like that, so probably no." She set the bottle back on the table. "Let's check the woman."

The female body had half a face, fortunately, the exposed side was laying on the floor, so they didn't had to see the internals of her brain. "What a way to go, half of your face gone."

"It doesn't matter how you go, when you're gone." Sword said.

"True."

The dress she was wearing was white (Or was at least mostly white) in color, there were only two pockets. The Mii checked both but only found a single item. "Lipstick?"

"Make sense, it's a beauty product."

"Yeah." Sword rotated the cosmetic around to see a sentence inscribed on the plastic, **"Property of Pinecreek Mall"**.

"Pinecreek Mall. Did you see any large buildings on your way here?"

"No, nothing of the sort."

"Damn, must be far away then. I was hoping we can check it out." The swordsman was about to get up when he saw the red fingers of the woman. "Holy…"

"Sword?" Wii Fit asked out of concern.

Sword picked up the hand of the woman. She had long bright red nails, but it doesn't look like nail polish. Too dry. The Mii snapped his head to the man's neck. The two strings of thread began to tie themselves in a knot.

"Sword?" Wii Fit repeated a bit louder.

"She attacked him."

"Wh… the wife attacked her own husband?" Wii Fit replied.

"Look at her hand, her nails are covered in blood. And on the man's neck, since it's not an animal, it had to be her." Sword pointed to the hand and neck respectively.

"I see, so she did scratched him."

"There's no doubt about it. But why would she do that? Furthermore, why is the evidence of a struggle on her part? Her body is mostly fine."

"Well, it's hard to fight back when half of your face gets blown off." Wii Fit reminded.

"Ah. I forgot about that. Still, if they did fought, why did they do it in the first place?"

"We're going to have to find that answer somewhere else, let's go to Brawler's group. They have been awfully quiet."

And indeed they have, the two off them were shuffling around a couple of seconds earlier but now they are frozen stiff. Wii Fit tapped the fist-fighter on the shoulder, making him flinch. "Jesus, be careful. Now's not the time to be pulling that."

"Sorry, about that. Didn't mean to startle you there." She replied.

"I didn't…" Brawler shook his head. "Never mind, did you find anything?"

"We found that the couple killed with the shotgun, but the wife may have put up a struggle before they died."

"Struggle? What are you saying?"

"The husband has scratch marks on his neck. The wounds match with the fingers on the right hand of the wife, and they're covered in blood." Sword answered.

Greninja scribbled down. **"So she attacked him? So this wasn't just a group suicide?"**

"We don't have all the pieces yet so… we have flimsy evidence at best." Sword muttered.

"Evidence?" Brawler was appalled. "These are f*cking people. The kid's brains have been scrambled and the parents offed themselves, have a bit more respect." Greninja tilted his head, he acted different when he asked him to join team. He expected him to reject but he accepted it with no questions ask. And now he's doing this. Are there more layers to him than was original calculated.

"I didn't mean it like that, man! I was trying to be objective. I didn't mean to offend, I just don't know how to properly react in this situation." Sword defended as he raised his hands.

Brawler took a deep breath, expelling out the frustration through his nostrils. "Did you find anything else?"

"We found a pill bottle."

"Pill Bottle?"

"Yes, sleeping pills to be exact." Clarified Wii Fit.

" **That explains it."**

"Explains what, Greninja?" Sword said. Brawler gestured around the two small corpses, several round tablets were around the area, he picked it up and showed it to them. "These were around them, I actually found some of them near their lips. I'm guessing they've been fed this whiles the parent's euthanized them." His face carried a heavy scowl. "Bastards. And we didn't find anything in their pockets if that's what you're asking."

" **But we did find something else."** The frog took his time writing out the words. **"There's something wrong with their faces."**

"Their faces? Have they been beaten?" Sword cringed, hoping that he was wrong on his answer.

" **No. Look."** The Pokémon pointed to the brother and sister, and Sword and Wii Fit saw what he was trying to tell them. The heads of the kids were modified, mutated. The teeth on their upper and lower jaws have been sharped to a point to where it would cut into flesh without effort, some of the fangs were even sticking out of their lips. On top of that, their little bumps under the skin, right by the temples, someone with a much wild imagination would have said they looked like horns.

"My god… both of them?" Wii Fit said. "Did someone do this to them?"

"No, we didn't see any trace of tampering. It's natural." Brawler retorted.

"The newspapers said there was a high alert going on in the past. You think this has something to do with it?" Sword suggested.

" **I don't know, but it's possible the parent's euthanized the kids because of their appearance."**

"So they killed them because they thought they were ugly. F*cking demons, that's what they are." Growled Brawler.

" **We can't be making assumptions. We need more** **evi-** **"** Greninja scribbled the last three letters out. **"We need to see the entire scene before we start blaming."**

"Where else can we… Gunner!" Sword said aloud to himself, now remembering the task she was taking.

Shuffling and stomping was heard before Gunner came running up to them, nearly tripping in the process, she was carrying a burlap sack over her shoulder. "Sorry, I couldn't hear. You called?"

"As a matter of fact we did." Brawler stood up and faced the female Mii. "What's in the bag?"

"Stuff I didn't expected to find." The shooter placed the sack on the floor and untied it. The team saw its contents: Plenty of food cans, a plethora of shotgun shells, and a little mix of revolver bullets mixed.

Brawler pullet out the revolver out of his pocket and inserted the bullets in. "It fit's." He said as he put it back in his pocket. "Where'd you find it?"

Gunner pointed to a lonely cabinet in the far back of the attic. "In there, there's so much more than I can carry. I think I saw a med kit in there too."

" **So the family was using the attic as a shelter. Makes sense. Did you find anything else?"** Greninja asked.

"As a matter of fact I did." Gunner reached into her pocket and pulled out a dusty green book. "I only read a few pages but I think it's a diary or a journal."

"A journal?" Sword was proud. "Gold star, Gunner. We may finally understand what happened to the farm."

"Have you read the contents?" Asked Wii Fit.

Gunner shook her head. "No. I wanted to read it with the rest of you. I didn't feel comfortable reading it by myself."

"Well, we're all here now. No point in squabbling. I narrate." Brawler said as he took the book from the shooter's hands and began to skim the pages. "I see a bunch of pages entailing farming productions and family outings… Hm?"

"What?" Asked Gunner.

"Take a look for yourself." Brawler rotated the book to the group, placing his finger on the page he was referring to.

 **Production is up to date, I'll hit the quota within a week, but I'm starting to notice flakes of snow coming down from the sky? It's kind of odd really. The weatherman said that we wouldn't get snow for at least two months. They must have gotten their readings wrong. In any case, I'll have to start the harvest as soon as possible.**

Next Page.

 **The snow has been getting worse. I came outside and the snow was up to my ankles! I manage to jar and canned the vegetables, but that'll still cost me. I've been trying to contact my brother but he hasn't responded. I want to believe it was just crappy service at the mine, but I've got a bad feeling about it.**

Next Page.

 **Holy S*it! I can't believe my eyes! As I tended to the cattle I saw something through the cracks of the barn. It stood on two legs but it wasn't human. I didn't get a good look but I think it had horns. The moment it disappeared from view I ran to the house, and locked all the doors. My family has been getting kind of worried about me. But what do I tell them?! I saw a monster frolicking by the corn? No. I just need to think this out.**

Next Page.

 **Got a warning from the radio. There's a pandemic going on but the news won't elaborate. Our governor wants us to go into the nearest shelter. That would have to be in Pinecreek Mall. I hate to leave but my family comes first. My farm hand Jimmy, thankfully volunteered to take care of the animals whiles we're gone. I have to remember to give him a raise when this is all over.**

As Brawler turned the next pages, they've found it to be completely blank.

"Did he forget to write it down after that?" Wii Fit said.

"Is that all?" Asked Sword.

"Hold on." Brawler kept turning the pages until the familiar blotches resembling words came into view.

 **THOSE THINGS! THEY ATTACKED THE CAMP. THE MONSTERS! THOSE FLESH EATING MONSTERS! THEY WERE EATING EVERYONE! EVEN THE KIDS! WE GOT OUT. BUT WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! IS IT THE END TIMES?!**

Next Page.

 **Jimmy disappeared, all we found is his overalls, but it was stained with blood. The animals… those things tore into them, I know it. The house is the only safe place we can use right now. We're all cooped up here, I hate it, but I'm not risking to get eaten by those things.**

Next Page.

 **CHARLIE AND SARAH ARE TURNING!**

Next Page.

 **I had to do it. I had to. I wasn't going to let my children turn into demons. My wife… she couldn't handle it. She couldn't see that they're already dead. I didn't mean to do that to her. I'm just. I don't know who I am anymore.**

Next Page.

 **I'm so hungry.**

Everyone stood still, their shallow breathing did little to break the silence.

"So… that's what happened." Gunner said. "There was an invasion by monsters. Then… the kids were infected?" She guessed.

"It would explain the bumps and the teeth." Wii Fit rubbed her chin.

"But we haven't seen any of the creatures the book described." Sword spoke. "If this is true, then where are they? Have they died, or are they still around?"

The fear of unknown was present throughout the room. They haven't been very perceptive to their surrounds thanks to the snow. What if the creatures had been hiding from sight, stalking them, eating them?

That fear was not in Brawler, he patently closed the book and walked away. "Brawler?" Asked Gunner.

"The investigation is done. I'm heading downstairs. Need to sit now."

"The investigation is not done, we haven't search the entire." Wii Fit was interrupted by the fist-fighter.

" _The investigation is done._ " Brawler reemphasized "You can keep searching, but I'm going downstairs. You can tell the others what you find."

"Gree." The Mii in red heard, he turned to the notepad being held up. **"The bodies will be needing a burial. Are you fine with that?"**

"Yeah… I just need to rest. See you all later." Brawler replied as he climbed down the ladder.

Sword didn't think about then, but now a days he realized that the raunchy bastard he knew and confusingly loved changed that day.

A little bit of the light in his eyes had dimmed.


	67. Chapter 67: Days Gone Bye

**Chapter 67: Days Gone Bye**

It was high noon. The sun way up in the sky beamed down its rays of heat and light. It burned, but it will never compare to what happened on that day. With the prospect of the newest generation of Smashers gone missing, whiles their most deadly enemy revealed his ugly face once more for world domination… to say the least, they're not taking it well.

The Veterans had set up an amateur fortress of wooden spikes, barbed wire, and other useful materials on the outskirts of the mansion. About half of the fighters were charged with guarding the barrier whiles the other half went out into the WOT to find any traces of the hands.

They took breaks and rested of course, but it didn't do much good. After all, who could relax at a time like this?

Lucario, Ness and Wolf were tasked with wrapping wires around each around the barrier, being very delicate to not cut the cord accidentally, they do not want to do this section again.

The jackal finally hooked up his wire on the post. Satisfied with his job, he stretched out a paw to the psychic boy. _"Next."_

"No can do, Lucario."

Lucario turned his head around in frustration. "And why not?" Ness showed him the cardboard box he's been carrying for the entirety of the day.

"We're all out, that was the last one."

Lucario gritted his teeth, then relaxed his jaw muscles and took a breath. _"That's a shame, we still need more wire. I have to put a notice on the scavenging board when we get back."_

"I understand being prepared is well-ensured strategy in and of itself. But this is plain excessive." Wolf took a sip from his canteen. "The walls already have wires, why are we putting more on?"

" _Simple. The more… the better."_ The heat was getting to Lucario but he persisted in maintain the barrier. He **had** to maintain it. It was his duty.

"Both Master Hand and Crazy Hand can fly, this won't keep them out." Wolf explained. "The real defenses are back at the mansion! Turret guns, solid steel doors… that's the real barrier. At best this fence will keep the deer out."

Lucario set down the wire cutters and turned to the canine. _"This isn't for Master Hand, Wolf. It's for his minions."_

"The shadow creatures that wear those stupid green fez hats as a part of their uniform? You consider them a threat?"

Ness replied. "A single Primid is easy, but a horde of them are quite the force. Especially when they surround a target. They are one of the most coordinated species around, Wolf. Not surprising though, they came from one of our own."

" _Yes… Mr. Game & Watch." _Lucario couldn't help but feel sorry for their thin friend. He never really forgiven himself for allowing himself to get captured, for these monsters to come for to fruition. But now that the past came back to bite him, it was like a truck slammed into him. The jackal wonders if he blames this entire crisis on him. He needs to talk to him when he gets the chance. _"Very touchy subject, for him, at least."_

"Well it doesn't matter, we're out of wire." Wolf noted. "So what now? Our shift is still going."

" _Simple, we improvise."_

"What?"

" _We substitute the wire with something else until we get another batch."_

"But what are we going to use as a substitute?" Asked Ness. Lucario turned back to the barrier, he tapped his chin for an idea when it came to him.

" _We can hammer nails and the outer perimeter of the wall."_ Suggested the jackal. _"If we hook the nails to the wires, not only will it make our defenses spikier, it will spread the electricity as well. Ness, are there spare nails in storage?"_

Ness nodded. "Yes, I think we do."

" _Well, go get them. And afterwards return to Olimar and help him set these up. He's probablt having a harder time than we are. Now go."_ The psychic child nodded again and left the Wolf and Lucario by themselves.

" _Aren't you going to help him?"_

"I was, but then I got a better idea." Replied the leader of Star Wolf.

" _Do tell."_

"This barrier is decent in height, but I don't know if that'll be enough to deter them from climbing. So we need to get creative here. Thankfully, I happen to have a bunch of lube in my room."

" _You possess a bunch of lube in your quarters?"_ Lucario had an embarrassed expression on his muzzle, he tried to hide it my turning around and picking back up the wire cutters.

As if he knew what Lucario was implying, he stepped it up. "It's not like that you blue mutt! It's for my ship, the parts gets stiff from time to time and I need the lube to loosen it up. Anyway, if I spread the lube over the walls it'll be slippery to prevent them from climbing. It's a good failsafe, don't you think?"

" _It's not much, but every bit counts…"_ Lucario admitted. _"Alright, just come back as soon as you can."_ Wolf then left the perimeter of the barrier, leaving the Pokémon all by himself. _"Hmpt, I wonder if he just said that just so he can squirm his way out of some work? For his sake, I pray that's not the case."_

""Guys! Hey! Guys!" Pit said from above. He was on the top portion of the ladder propped up against the gate, since he couldn't reliably fly he had to rely on support to see well. "People are coming at the gate!"

Link unsheathed his sword. "Is it intruders? Monsters?"

"No it's… it's one of the scavenging teams! They're back!" Announced the angel.

Lucario ceased the tension of his muscles. _"You could have said the first, you nearly brought out the fighting instinct within me."_

"Oh. Well… I… uh…" Pit was stammering as he usually did, that kid need to work on his speech skills.

" _Never mind that."_ Mewtwo levitated to the gated portion of the barrier and opened the fence. _"Let's give our friends a warm welcome."_

A seven man team of Smasher's walked through; Falco, Snake, Luigi, Mario, Bowser, Captain Falcon, and Pikachu was relieved to be back home from all that adventuring. But then the legendary stood in front of them.

" _Stand by, I need scan all of you."_

"Oh come on!" Falco complained. "Master Hand doesn't hire shapeshifters, we're fine."

" _This is not a request."_ Mewtwo affirmed. _"We're not cutting corners, you know we can't afford to do that. Now stand still or do I have to hold you down?"_

"Fine. To hell with it." The bird hushed and folded his arms in apparent defeat.

Mewtwo with full liberty, scanned the minds of the scavenger team to make sure they're the real deal. Satisfied with the results, he stepped out of the way. _"So what did you find?"_

Bowser set down the large sack he'd been carrying on his shell the entire adventure. He then untied it and showcased the contents. "Got a hefty supply of fruit, bandages, scrap, and what not. This will definitely help out cause."

" _And did you find traces of Master Hand?"_ Lucario asked.

Snake took a breath out of his cigarette and let out all of the irritating smoke out of his lungs. "We didn't find his hideout but we did see his… seeds" Lucario tilted his head.

" _Explain."_ Demanded Mewtwo.

"Not us, but another team told us the scoop." Falcon said. "They reported they saw an increase of Primids in various areas. More particularly in settlements and towns."

"Are you sure about that?" Pit slid down the ladder. "It's not like them to attack random towns, even during the war, the places they conquered had a purpose."

"On the a way back, we came across Onett. They were a everywhere" Luigi answered "And they a didn't attack the place either, they were… patrolling around, taking up a residency."

"What does that mean?" Pit asked.

" _Master Hand is trying taking up more control of the land."_ Lucario replied. He gritted his teeth. Damn, if only the villagers around had the capacity to think and rebel. _"It wasn't even a challenge for him, I bet he's smiling about it right now."_ And hopefully he'll see the day where'd he'll get to wipe it off.

"You know what this means right? He's getting close to his grand plan." Falco said.

"Isn't that too presumptuous to say?" Link commented.

"This is Master Hand we're talking about, all his scheme involve taking over this place with contrived bullsh*t. This era is no exception. We know nothing of what it is though, aside from the stuff he stole."

"Look, the fact is we cannot let this a continue." Mario said. "This a buildup of Primids will only make scavenging and searching more difficult as time goes on. We need to take a care of this before it gets out of a hand."

"Pika chu pika pi?" (But what do we do?) Questioned the electric mouse.

" _Simple, we cull their population down."_ Mewtwo answered.

"Culling? But that'll take more work out of us!" Bowser spouted. "We stretched thin as it is!"

"I know it's hard but we have no choice!"Snake retorted. "We have to cut down the hands at every opportunity that presents itself to us, even if it pushed us to the limit. If we combine the scavenging and culling tasks into one, it could work."

"You believe it'll be that easy?"

"No. But it won't be impossible."

"Whatever you say… David."

" _We can discuss it later, just head back to the mansion and rest. You guys deserve it after all the work you've done. I need to have a chat with Snake."_ Lucario said.

"But I need to fly the Blue Falcon back to where it belongs." Falcon said. "I parked by the perimeter out of necessity."

" _Then go back and park it on the mansion, and while we're at it, Bowser, throw that sack into storage. Now go and finally rest."_ The team obeyed. Falcon ran back to get his ship while the rest trudged back to the mansion. Pit went back to his post on top of the ladder while Mewtwo, Lucario, Snake, and Link stayed behind.

" _So… How serious is Primid problem?"_ Lucario asked.

Snake put out his cigarette and threw it in a trash can. "Enough to warrant our attention. Shifts, chain of command, strategic placements; it reminds me all of my time in Shadow Moses. Those old dogs certainly have been taught new tricks."

"How does he keep making these creatures?" Link asked. "The last of the shadow bugs have been destroyed during the war."

"We also thought Master Hand was dead too." Said the solder. "I guess that's another presumption on our part."

Mewtwo deep in thought, closed the gate and resumed the conversation. _"The Primids were of Tabuu's creation, only he knew how to make them."_

"Could Tabuu told him how to make them?" Link suggested.

" _Master Hand had his mind controlled by Tabuu at that time, it wouldn't make sense."_

Lucario sighed. _"Another question reveals itself but no answer in sight. Eh. Anyway, we can't use any heavy artillery or bomb their hideouts; not if we want to become mass murders of the innocent."_

"First marauders, now enslavers." Link was upset. He believed that the WOT would be much different than the troubling land of Hyrule, guess the past can't leave him behind. "At least the people there aren't aware of their status as cattle."

"So we have to do the old fashioned way." Snake replied. "Going in silent or loud, then taking them down one enemy at a time."

" _It was easier then because we were on the move. But now with our base established and we have yet to find the hand's hideout… we'll have a lot on our plate to say the least. If we do follow through with the culling, it has to be applied when necessary. Otherwise we'll be wasting more resources."_

"Not to mention we're still in the dark about his actual plan." Link added.

" _Maybe not. We have Debra on our side now."_ Reminded Lucario. Soon after the disappearances of the Newcomers, the tentacle creature came knocking on their door. She saw a vision of the event and was curious to know what happened. She was heartbroken when she heard the news. And when they told the scoop on the ongoing developments with Master, she demanded that she stayed and help. She wanted to "snatch the young ones from his dirty fingers and shove his knuckles where'd the sun don't shine."

She was energetic for her age, but she wasn't capable of fighting, instead, she volunteered to be their honorary clairvoyant; letting them know of particular events that were happening at a specific time. It was a long shot, but it might be the edge to pin point the hand's location. _"That's gotta count for something, right?"_

"It does to a degree. The more the merrier." Said Snake.

Before they can discuss the plans on the Primids, Ness came back running with a box a nail to boot. "Slow down! I don't want the spikes to hurt you kid!" Announced Snake.

The psychic kid stopped in front of the four Veterans. "Sorry Mister Snake. But I finally got the nails that Lucario requested." Ness handed the box to jackal. "It took a bit of searching but I finally found it. Are we still going to work on the barrier today?"

" _Yeah, that will. Thanks."_ Lucario nodded and reached for the box, however it slipped through Ness's and the Jackal's grip allowing it to fall on the ground and pour its contents out. _"Oh, come on."_

The Pokémon knelt down and was about to pick the metal pricks back into the cardboard square when a loud buzzing came into his right ear. He swiveled his head right to see the communicator on Snake's belt had buzzed on. The sound of their robotic inventor boomed through the speaker. _"[Hello! Hello. Snake are you receiving this. I got some new information you want to hear.]"_

Ever since the vanishing, R.O.B. and his colleges kept themselves in the lab. They've been reclusive in that little room, only getting out for food and whatnot. He never responded to anyone outside of research. This must be serious.

Snake detached the device and put it up to his mouth. "I'm receiving. What you got for me?"

" _[The crystal, it's not anything we have seen before. I don't think it was even made of actual matter. Or at least any regular matter.]"_

" _Not made of regular matter? What are you trying to say R.O.B.?"_ Lucario pressed, almost shoving his snout right into the speaker.

" _[I can't explain it on the phone, it wouldn't do it justice to present what I found with mere words. Just get down here as soon as you can.]"_

" _You made a discovery? Why Lucario and Snake in particular? Why not everyone at once?"_ Mewtwo questioned.

" _[Ah, Mewtwo, so you're on the line as well. The other Smashers are busy with their individual work. We'll disrupt everything and the mansion will be vulnerable if we bring them in now. We'll tell them when they're on break because they need to be in the lab to actual see it. You can come along if you're free though, anyone's welcomed.]"_

"We'll be there shortly. Is that all?" Snake asked.

" _[One more thing, we just got another signal. A Newcomer signal.]"_

They all looked at each other's faces, never once did they expect to feel shock and joy at the same time.

* * *

Lucario, Link, Ness and Snake all barged in the lab; Mewtwo chose to stay behind to watch the gate. The crystal sphere was place on a large metallic table, being held up by a steel stand. Various technological and mechanical equipment surrounded this sphere; some pointed lasers inside the structure, others took scans, one even was lightly tapping on the structure with a miniature robotic finger.

R.O.B., Fox, and Samus were hidden behind the screens of the computer when they noticed them. They stopped what they were doing and stood forth in front of the fighters; they looked much content a week ago.

"[Alright, so you want the good news or the bad news?]" The robot asked.

"Let's get the negative over and done with." Said Snake, for the first time in quite a while, he restrained himself from lighting his cig. He really wanted to fully grasp what they're dealing with.

"To politely put it, we don't know how to activate it and whether we can use it to bring back the Newcomers." Fox said. "Sorry for being so blunt."

"That is _very_ bad news." Ness reiterated.

"Well at least the problem is more clearly defined." Link responded.

" _And what about the good news?"_ Lucario pressed. In his eyes, hope was dangling by a thread, and he really didn't want to be cut due to the spouting of simple scientific banter of how the universe was stomping on their face. _"We could really use it right now."_

"That's why we wanted you guys to come to the lab." Samus nodded to R.O.B., he pressed a couple of buttons on a nearby keyboard and a monitor on one of the machines probing the crystal turned on. "Be easier to show it rather than explain it."

On the screen showed what appeared to be two atoms, or rather the inner workings of _an atom, Lucario could easy recognize the glowing dots to be protons, neutrons and_ _everythi_ electrons.

"Is this the atoms of the crystal ball?" Asked Snake.

"[Yes, but more specifically, these are one of the atoms of the crystal ball, and the atom of a regular crystal.]" R.O.B. explained.

"Regular crystal? Yeah, since it has all that power-"

"[I'm not referring to its anomalous properties.]" Interrupted the robot. "[I'm referring to its atomic make-up.]"

" _There's something wrong with the atoms?"_ Lucario was very curious yet confused. _"They look the same."_

"On the glance it looks the same, but according to the machines that's not the case." Fox tapped both icons of the atom. The subatomic particles were magnified. Each particles from both atoms looked similar but there were minor difference on its shape and size. "These two are totally different."

The group looked more intently but they couldn't but scratch their heads. Link spoke up. "I can the difference now, but what importance does this have to our investigation?"

"It could mean _everything_." Samus empathized. "We know that all of us seen what the WOT has to offer, it may seem to be random but they have all one universal connection. They are all made of the same kind of matter with the same kind of particles."

She tapped on the screen then pointed to the crystal. "But this crystal is the exception. It made out of materials that you can find in this realm: Sapphire, spessartite and moonstone. But the atoms are a different story, it won't be able to form chemical bonds with any other matter in this world. The artifact should not be able to exist in its form but here it is."

"Couldn't it be possible to change the subatomic particles artificially?" Snake asked.

R.O.B. shook his head. "[If atoms are the building blocks of matter, then it's applies the same to the relationship of subatomic particles and atoms. You can't change it, its physical impossible. You could find previous undiscovered forms of subatomic particles, but were talking the original versions being altered. There's only one possible way that this could theoretically exist.]"

"And what is that?" Ness brought his fingers to his mouth, he was very unsure on what to think about the situation.

"[You know what the butterfly effect is? It means the smallest change in an event might lead to a series huge, life-changing events.]" R.O.B. was approaching the concept very delicately, he never been so focused in his entire life. "[We all know that every universe in the Omniverse is different, no matter how mild or major it appears. Magic may not exist in Snake's world but it certainly exists in Link's world. Psychics exist in Ness's world but only Pokémon and a few certain humans possess such capabilities… etc. For the creation of each universe, its characteristics are solely dependent on the way it was formed. The only possible solution to this atomic anomaly, is that it came from a universe where the particles there are considered to be normal, and it ended up in our universe.]"

" _Does that mean the problem of anything - besides the information of other individuals for the Newcoming process – getting in and out of this realm is false?"_ Lucario was stunned, but it was only short lived by the robot's answer.

"[That I do not know.]" R.O.B. said.

"Does that prove your theory that the Newcomers are trapped in a different dimension?" Snake questioned.

"[I do not know that either. But considering the data we have, I'm suggesting that it could be a possibility. I don't know if it's a huge possibility, but it's definitely a huge possibility.]"

"Sorry if that's not reassuring, but this is the best breakthrough we have right now." Said Samus.

" _You know what, that's fine. What about the Newcomer? You said there was a signal."_ Lucario was more interested in the next Newcoming, he didn't want the same fate to happen to this one.

"[Yes, the Newcomer.]" R.O.B. typed on a nearby computer monitor and rotated over to the group. A big red dot appeared on the side on a large grassy plain. "[It came in around ten minutes ago, right by Techma fields.]"

" _Techma Fields? That's where we picked up Villager."_ Lucario remembered, after all, he was a part of that mission. He never would have believed a flower child would become a great fighter. So strange to how that works. _"Is someone there to pick them up?"_

"[Of course. There happened to be a team nearby the area, and I radioed them in to do the extraction.]" R.O.B. answered with professionalism. "[They're on their way there as we speak.]"

"That's good, at least something is going right." Even in the hardest of circumstances, Ness always did his best to be optimistic. And it was quite infectious, Lucario had a hard time not smiling thanks to the bright psychic. Just then, Ness had a face of confusion as he looked at Fox. "Is something wrong, Fox?"

The canine was rolling his eyes on top, thinking of the past events that happened long ago. "The one with Villager, that was second retrieval right?"

"Yeah I believe so." Answered Snake.

"So if Villager was second, then who was the first again?"

"[It was Sword and his friends, remember that night when they accidently stumbled in our home and we had to chase them down?]" Asked R.O.B.

" _How could I forget? Brawler hit Ike right in the family jewels; had to have an ice pack on his crotch for a week."_ Lucario cringed at the thought that was pretty painful for him.

"I know that too, but what confuses me was their presence. It wasn't picked up by our machine."

"[I thought we all agreed it was a glitch in the programming?]" Questioned R.O.B.

"I know we did, but since the vanishing I've been trying to reinterpret the turn of events that led us to present." Fox tapped his fingers on the table in abstract thought. "You know, don't we get at least on Newcomer between each mission? We never had three come at once before."

"True, we did not. But yet again we did get the Ice Climbers. They came in the same time. As well as the trainer and his Pokémon; that's four entities at once." Explained Samus.

"Yeah, but both of them register as one Smasher, they're bonded to each other so to speak. Like with the climbers, if one gets damaged they'll share the same percentage." Fox continued. "But not with the Miis they're separate."

"[You think there's more to them than we realize?]" Asked R.O.B.

"Well each of them had built the crystal, and it only worked for them." The space commander gestured to the sphere. "It can't be a coincidence, I refuse to believe that."

" _Considering how that crystal improved their skills, I'm inclined to believe that as well."_

"Lucario, I know you think that FW was responsible for the setback, but we have no proof. We have correlation but that's it." Link retorted. "The trails gone cold on that guy, we don't even know if he's still around. Right now, we need to focus and cutting down the hands. Hopefully once and for all."

Lucario huffed again. He knew he was right, R.O.B. and his team were the best bet in getting them back. He's job now is to protect the barrier. He just hates not being able to do anything. It's like fate is spitting in his face and he can't do anything about. The best he can pray for is for life to give him lemons and squirt the sour juice in the eyes of the powers that be. _"So what do we do now?"_ He asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Well right now, the best you can do is either keep watch on the perimeter or tell the others about our discovery. Would make spreading the information easier on our part." Samus said.

"Can we assist the team with finding the Newcomer too?" The Hylian suggested. Even though he was very good with his job in protecting the barrier, he's been stuck in the mansion for too long. He hate to admit, but he was craving for adventure. Link never imagined to think that huge base they were living in would become so stuffy.

"[Sorry Link, I appreciate the sentiment but I don't think that won't be necessary. The recovery team is close to the target, to leave right now would disrupt things. Techma Fields is a very tame and quiet place most of the time.]" R.O.B. said "[Let's stay put until they come back.]"

"R.O.B.!" Fox shouted from a computer terminal that was connected to the center command room. "They're calling back."

"[Wonderful, glad to see Diddy Kong is getting a hang on that thing.]"

"You gave Diddy Kong a spare communicator? Isn't he bad with understanding technology?" Ness pondered.

"[We need to get update our members on everything, including how to use the equipment.]" The robot explained. "[I'm just glad that Diddy is understanding this stuff, it'll help him out in the long run. Excuse me.]"

R.O.B. went to the terminal and put on the oversize headphones on his metallic noggin, accepting the call without hesitation. "[Hello, Diddy! How's your mission going so far?... what?... WHAT!]" The robot shrieked through his digital voice box. "[How many do you need?... Okay I'm sending them pronto! Just hang on!]"

The robotic veteran handed the headphones back to Fox and quickly positioned himself to his guests. "Link, look like your wish is coming true after all!"

"What was that all about?" Snake said. "What's happening in the fields?"

"[Diddy called, he said that a swarm of those Primids had got them pinned in a mine. They don't know how long they can hold out.]" R.O.B. stressed the shear importance through his speakers. "They need reinforcements."

Lucario almost stumbled back at the revelation. _"How many are there?"_

"[Around a hundred!]"

Snake loaded up his gun and bolted out of the room. "Me and Lucario we'll get a team going. I'm going back to get Falcon. We need his ride."

"Wait!" Announced Link. "Why kind of Primids are we dealing with?"

"[Metal Primids, and they're all packing heat.]" R.O.B. said.

Lucario snout curved into a snarl.


	68. Chapter 68: Weird Dreams

**Chapter 68: Weird Dreams**

Ridley was carrying his son over the clouds of… we he really didn't care, he just really loved his son. "Here we are sweetgum! A thousand feet over the air. Know daddy will let you fly!"

The piece of toast that was being carried by Ridley scowled. "For the last time you Barney reject, I'm not your son!" He shouted before being dropped from his claws. He screamed in terror as he fell. "Oh no! I'm going to hit the ground! Oh what do I do, oh what do I do?"

An idea popped in his head. The lightbulb fell and cracked over his crust but he can ignore it. "I'll just use my super duper parasol!" The bread took out the pink umbrella from his pocket dimension and smiled. "Ah the benefits of having an umbrella, praise to the goddess of Mary Poppins!" He said, unfortunately he didn't get a chance to use it as he made contact with the snow down below.

Bread got up to see his friends chilling by a fire: Cole Phelps, Chell, and the Spaghetti Monster

Toast got up from the snow. "Well at least I didn't die? Or was that what I wanted all along?" The piece of bread then noticed the spaghetti monster giving him the stink eye. "Hey! It's Ridley's baby!"

"I require my servan - I mean my daddy." The pasta monster said.

"Toast, do you know where his daddy is?" Asked Chell.

"Oh hell no! I'm not going back up there!"

"You are a worm through time, burrowing through the depravity of mankind. Justice is a farce of weak minds-" Uttered the spaghetti monster, but then toast closed his pasta mouth.

"Alright. Alright. I'll do it, just keep your freaky lips shut."

"Let's get to work." Cole said, getting up from the ground. "We need to hurry before Gnasty Gnorc gets here."

"Gnasty Gnorc?!" Chell almost dropped her portal gun in horror as she looked in the distance. "Oh no!"

The big bad orc was skiing down the mountain holding his iconic bludgeoning weapon in hand. "Hahaha! You can't escape from me this time fools!"

"Wanna bet?" Cole said before pulling out his gun and fired.

The bullet passed through his skull like butter through a kni - I mean knife through butter. Gnorc fell on snow and broke several bones before stopping his motion.

Cole blew on the tip of his gun and turned to his group. "You know, I wonder why we haven't done that instead of letting run every time we beat him. It would have erased years of suffering."

Ridley was flying overhead when we saw his precious pasta baby eating the orc's remains. He fluttered down like a beautiful butterfly to congratulate the team. "Oh thank you so much for finding my cutsy wusty baby boy. He is very young bright lad you know, back in kinder garden he made castles out of his meat balls-"

*BANG!*

A brand new whole appeared on his forehead. His eyes went crossed as he fell onto his back.

Cole shot several rounds into the alien's eyes as he turned to his now-shocked companions. "What? He gave me a look."

* * *

Swordfighter sprung up from the bottom bunk of the bed, banging his head on the metal frame from the second bed. "Ah! Dammit!" The blonde Mii said as he rubbed the bump.

Shuffling was heard from the top bed, Greninja lowered his head down to check up on his bunk mate. "Gre?"

"I'm fine. Just had a bad dream." Although, he wasn't frightened by the dream by any means, he was certainly shocked that his mind could even come up with some garbage. Brawler must have been leaving an impact on him.

The frog took out his clipboard, drew on it, and then showed it to the Newcomer. **"Going back to sleep?"**

"Nah, I had enough. I'm going to walk around and see how everyone is doing." Greninja politely raised his head up to allow the Mii to get off the bed. He and the rest of the Newcomers had been using this house as a home for the past seven days. Some of the Smashers volunteered to explore the area whiles the rest of them staying here.

There are only two objectives that are of real importance here: Throwing whatever in the fireplace to get the fire going, and sleeping. The later was surprising harder, they were barely enough usable beds and sleeping bags for them to use. But what made it harder was that were plenty of cold spots within the house, making sleep a challenge.

They had to take turns in the places where the temperature was acceptable. The attic was humid and large enough for all of them… but no one wanted to even be there. "I'm going to see have dinner is doing." Greninja nodded as he laid his head back on the pillows.

Swordfighter gave the teddy bear a sulky head shake before exiting.

When he stepped into the living room, his nostrils picked up the scent of smoke. "Ah. So it's already past six? I didn't think I slept for that long."

"Well, technically it's 5:30 but yeah." Villager said, putting more fire into fireplace.

"Villager?! Rosalina was supposed to tend the fire, what are you doing here?" Asked Sword.

"I asked Rosalina if I can give it a try. I told her I had plenty of experience with this sort from my camping trips. So she gave me the rains and went off."

"And where did she go?" The blonde narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Down by the farm to get more hay. You know, for the fire." The mayor said with an innocent smile.

The Mii tried to look for any signs, but ultimately gave up. It's funny, some of the Smashers back home actually believe that Village is a psychotic and that his behavior is just an act. He felt something about this kid, but hidden homicidal tendencies were not one of them. He'd wondered if Villager was wiser than we let on, but it could just be circumstance. "What are you cooking?"

Villager gave a sigh as he poured the contents of the sack onto the floor. "The usual. Baked beans and old carrots from the fields."

Sword couldn't help but feel bad for the little guy. He was the cheerleader, the person who wanted to make everyone feel better. But given the circumstances, his job had become harder to do each passing day. And it wasn't any more prominent in the food; expired food cans and vegetables on the verge of rotting isn't exactly something most people will find delicious.

The swordsman sat on the floor with him. "You need help cooking?"

The boy raised up his head, as if confused. But then he smiled. "Yeah, I would like that a lot." He grabbed onto a bunch of carrots and gave Sword a can opener. "I get carrots and you do beans?"

"Sure." The blonde grabbed the tool and sat by the sack, rotating the small metallic cylinders in his hand as he went to work.

Villager got a metal stick and pierce the carrots and stacked onto top of each other like a kabob. With glee, he stuck it right above the fire allowing it to cook inside and out. "You know, I just realized. We really don't need to eat do we? Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on other stuff?"

"Would you really want your body to suffer through starvation 24/7?" Sword jokingly said. "Because you're more welcome to try."

"On second thought I'll stick to burn carrot."

They chuckled as they went to work. Villager put the finished carrots on a napkin whiles Sword dumped the beans into a pot.

"Sword… how far do you think we are from home?" Villager asked as he finished the last of the carrots.

The Miii stopped the turning of the can for a moment. "I don't know, man. Are you nervous?"

"Nervous? It feels like I have a horde of butterflies just waiting to burst out of my stomach. I'm concerned about if we can even get back to the mansion. What if this was a one way trip and we can no longer get back? What if Master Hand takes over the place and comes after us next?"

Sword huffed. They had to face the facts. They were stuck on uncharted territory, unless the Veterans had a magical card up their sleeve they were on their own. The scouts weren't having luck either finding where they are or the mansion. All those skills they learn from Marth and Mewtwo were the only the knowledge they had of putting up a fair fight.

He couldn't lie to himself or Villager, things look pretty bad.

"Can I ask another question?" Villager waited for a response.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that crystal was responsible for this? Us being stranded here I mean?"

The blade-wielder grimaced as he emptied out that last can. He was afraid of that notion. The notion that he and the two of his friends were somehow to blame for their problems, their unwanted teleportation of all their Newcomer brethren.

There was no direct evidence that the sphere was connected to their predicament, the only thing they had was the flash of light coming from the artifact's direction at the time. If they were indeed responsible for the mess, he'll take the full repercussions of his actions. And if he played a hand in this, he'll be the one to correct this mistake.

"I don't know if it did, but whatever the case may be, we'll get out of this. All of us will."

"How can you be so certain?" Asked Villager.

"Because we were trained for this sort of thing back at the gym. We all are capable. You especially. I saw how you used that flower to kill the bee, that's resourceful. We need resourceful. If we utilize that to the highest potential, the sky's the limit." He picked up the pot with a hand, but was surprised to find it to be heavy. "Just need to put in the effort." He gritted through his teeth.

Villager smiled and helped Swordfighter setting the pot on the manmade grill, just over the fire. "It'll take a while for the slop to be cooked for perfection. Just need to let Father Time do its job." The boy said.

"Yeah." Said Sword.

The two sat in silence, staring into the fire for what felt like hours until Sword spoke. "We should probably tell them dinner is ready."

"Yeah… probably should."

"I'll go upstairs and holler." The Mii tried to get up but the mayor tapped his shoe.

"Not all the Smashers are here yet. Brawler, Little Mac and Wii Fit are outside by the barn. They're trying to tear of pieces from it to see if it'll make better firewood."

"I see. We'll I better go fetch them. You mind telling the people here supper is ready whiles I'm gone?"

"Of course, I'll also keep an eye on the beans too."

"Thanks, bud. I'll be right back. Don't be afraid to use your fireworks if something goes wrong."

"I promise." The swordsman gave the boy a nod before grabbing a coat of the rack. His zipped it up on his chest before going out into the cold. He caught his eye on the four crosses near the door. He gave a deep sigh. Can't believe it was only a week.

* * *

"Man, we got do better work on this trail, its killing my feet." Muttered Sword as he walked down the hill. Before they had to climb their way up the snowy bump, but Greninja had a plan to dig out a path out of the hill so they can to the house easier.

It worked well than expected thanks to Mega Man's flame sword carving it out, but the snow kept pilling on, plugging up the trench overtime. So in the end, it became another chore on the list for them to do.

Sword reached the bottom and jogged to the barn, he saw Brawler on top. He was on the roof ripping off the corners with his bare hands. Sword gave his friend a wave, he responded with a sigh and reluctantly waved his hand as well.

The blonde went to the front and knocked on the door, a moment later it opened to reveal Wii Fit. "Sword? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I got enough sleep." Shrugged the Mii as the fitness instructor let him in. "Came here to tell you dinner is ready."

"Carrots and beans again?" Little Mac was tearing pieces of a barrel apart, dumping them all in a wheelbarrow.

"You bet." Sighed Sword.

"What I wouldn't kill for a chocolate bar." Hummed the boxer.

"Thanks for telling us. We'll be up shortly." Said Wii Fit.

Sword turned his head further into the barn to see that the carcasses of the animals that dwelled here before were gone. With the exception of some fur, their presence had been removed completely from the area.

"Where is-"

"We decided it to be best that if we moved them." Replied the fitness trainer. "We couldn't stand the smell. It was too much."

"You threw them in the trash?" Asked the swordsman.

Little Mac wiped the sweat of his forehead. "Nah, we did something better." He gestured his hand to a window. Sword peered outside to find a cross made from sticks and twine poking out of the ground. "They died.. They couldn't be saved, but at least we gave them peace. It's the least we can do."

"I suppose… I suppose." Sword nodded his head as he retreated from the glass. The thoughts of the attic came to mind, what was left of them. How uncomfortable their homemade funeral was.

He turned to the two Newcomers and was going to ask a thought provoking question when Brawler was hollering as he slid down the ladder. "Weirdo coming in at 2:00! Get your ass in gear!"

Rosalina was complexed to say the least. "Weirdo? What are you trying to say Brawler?"

The fist-fighter rolled his eyes, manifesting a metal ball in his hand. "Some human pretty boy with blond hair is running towards this area. He has big red sword with a hole in it as well."

Sword was shocked, this was the first they even seen anyone for days and now someone was coming around the corner. Something wasn't adding up. "Wait. Guys, how many days has it been since we arrived here?"

"It's been a…" Little Mac's eyes widened in realization. "A week."

In a heartbeat, they busted the door outward and ran out in the cold snow.

* * *

Shulk had been running through this field what seemed like hours, it was bad enough he woke up in an unfamiliar place without his friends. But to be chased by _those things?_ Those things looked like it jumped straight out of a child's nightmare.

"This doesn't look like anything from the Bionis or the Mechonis. What is this place? Perhaps a third titan?" The teen sliced through the countless strands of maize with the Monado. The surge of energy he felt within his body before was fading now, he was colder, getting tired. He won't be able to go much further. There had to be someplace where he can rest.

He made it to the end of the field, he collapsed knees first in the bitter snow. Teeth chattering, hunger rising, lungs burning – it felt like he ran 12 marathons back and fro in a single day. It was a challenge not to fall asleep.

A noticed a shadow drawing near him. He gripped his sword to and was immediately greeted with a metal blade drawn to his face. He squinted through the fog, and saw a creature.

He looked like a Hom, but his head was significantly larger than what it normally should be. Furthermore, despite the fact that he had the advantage he didn't strike. He was confused if anything else. There were more shadows coming near but the exhaustion was finally coming full force.

He gave the sky a lazy blink before face-planting in the snow.


	69. Chapter 69: Trouble This Way Comes

**Chapter 69: Trouble This Way Comes**

The crackling slowly brought him back to reality, alongside with the smell of smoke. Shulk opened his eyes slowly, he was still straining from his exhaustion but its better now. The fireplace was lively of burning flames and charred wood, its light bringing him clarity to his surrounds.

It took time for his eyes to adjust, but he was in a living room but it looked worse for wear. This place had been abandoned for a long time, but it seems to be recently inhabited?

Wait… that guy with the blonde hair!

He checked his back in a panic to see that his sword was still there; right where it's supposed to be. He checked his pockets as well, nothing had been stolen from him. So at least that stranger wasn't a thief. But why was here? Did they take him in?

Steps approached his left. He snapped his head to see a young boy with brown hair, a woman in a blue dress, and a… yellow star creature?

He turned his head around to see a blue frog creature mediating on the floor behind him, the moment their eyes met the amphibian stood up and disappeared into the hall.

His shuffling got the attention of the child and woman; relief washed over them like a small wave crashing on the beach.

"Oh hey! You're awake!" Exclaimed the boy. "We had us worried for a bit." He handed Shulk a bowl of beans and corn.

"It's not much, but I hope you like it." Said Rosalina. The teenager was bewildered, he never had seen these people before. They look like Homs but at the same time they don't. Just look at that child's head. It's so big. He would have questioned them right then and there, but he was so hungry.

In fact, ever since he woken up here he'd been hungry from the start. Unnaturally so. The sensation was more… painful than he expected. Maybe getting some food in will give him a clear head. Shulk politely took the bowl and slowly took a spoonful.

His taste buds exploded with joy, a second later, he kept shoveling the contents into his mouth.

"Wow, he was very hungry." Commented the boy.

"I would imagine so." Replied the princess. "It's hard to scavenge food here. Especially in weather conditions like this."

The star creature nodded and took away Shulk's empty bowl from him when he finished. Shulk rotated his head to see the frog again, but this time he brought some more friends; a guy with a blue shirt and a big head, and another child wearing a high-tech suit of sorts, and a girl with a technological canon on her arm. "Hello." Said the latter.

"…Hello." Replied Shulk. He knew that it couldn't be a dream, everything added up to eliminate that possibility. So he had to be somewhere else, was this a hidden area of the two titans, or is there something else more to this. "Who are you people?"

"The short story would be that we are survivors like you, the long story… is complicated." The guy in blue tapped his finger against his arm in concentration. "My name is Swordfighter, and no it's not a nickname. It's my actual name."

"Are you Homs?" Shulk asked Swordfighter.

He blinked. "I beg your pardon."

"Are you a Hom like me?" Asked the teenager. "You look like one, but at the same time you don't."

"Is that what you call yourself? I thought you were a human. None of us are Hom at all."

Not Hom at all, the teenager would have been shocked by this but then he remembered the High Entia. Homs and High Entia look similar at first glance but there are differences. Maybe some of these people are different species that happened to look similar to them. Shulk shook his head. "No, I'm not. They don't exist anymore, I think. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Shulk, I'm a protector of Colony 9."

Now they're all looking at him funny down, trying to repeat the words in their heads to make sure it sounded right. "So Shulk… what kind of place did you use to live before coming here. What is this Colony 9?"

"The colony that's by the Bionis' right calf, there's a lot of Homs and Nopons living there." They were staring.

"…Bionis?"

"You know… the two titans that fought in the past. One representing biological life and the other representing mechanical life, the Mechonis. After they fought in a world made entirely from water they… I'm not making sense am I?" Shulk realized.

"I can understand what you are trying to say, it's just… out there." The boy wearing the blue suit answered. "In fact, this is the first we ever heard of this place."

"First you ever heard? Are we on the titans at all?"

"No, we're not." Sword answered.

"Then… are we on an island near the titans?" Shulk was getting antsy now. Where was he?

"No. We are much more farther than that." Sword replied cryptically.

"What?"

"We'll get to that later. You probably got plenty of questions, right?"

"I do. A lot actually." The teen replied.

"Well let's start off by introducing ourselves. I already told you my name, but I have yet to give the rest the floor." Sword nodded to the boy wearing a "1" on his shirt. He stood up from the floor and proudly announced his introduction. "My name is Villager! I used to be a mayor in a town. Man, I missed those days."

"A mayor? You look to be ten." Questioned Shulk.

"I was a very young mayor." Villager kept smiling.

"I'm Rosalina, and this little guy here is Luma." The woman with the blue dress said as the star jumped into her arms lovingly. "We are travelers of sorts, to say the least."

"My name is Mega Man. I'm an android created by a successful doctor. I fight other robots." Said the child wearing the suit. Shulk was surprised, he was a robot. He never would have guess, he looks so real, so alive.

"And this here is, Greninja." Sword gestured to the frog. "He's a frog ninja. He can't communicate with us verbally because he speaks a different language. But he can write to us, so that's something."

"What's his species?" Shulk referred to the amphibian. "I never seen a creature like that before."

"Greninja." The swordsman responded.

"No I meant the name as his species."

"That is the name of his species."

Shulk paused. "His name and his species' name is one of the same?"

"Yeah we all come from very different backgrounds." Swordfighter replied sheepishly.

"And my name is Gunner. I shoot plasma out of my weapon here." The woman with the canon said as she tapped on the gadget hugging her arm.

"There are three more of us outside; Wii Fit, Little Mac, and Brawler. But they are trying to scavenge more food for us. We'll have to wait until they return."

"I see. You said before that all of you were survivors, but you don't know what the titans were. If we're not on the Bionis or the Mechonis. Then where am I?" Asked Shulk.

"We've been trying to figure that out ourselves, but we've been having trouble with that so far." Gunned was shifting her feet nervously as she spoke. "We used to come from a place called the World of Trophies, or WOT for short. It was a very interesting place."

"Interesting how?" Shulk inquisitively asked.

"There's a lot of stuff that you would considered impossible or plain magical. But the fact is, is that this place has a lot of stuff in it. We were staying at this mansion with a large group of people called the Super Smash Brothers. They found us and took us in. We adjusted well, but on one day, we somehow got teleported here and we've been stuck ever since. We don't where we are exactly, but we may be in a town or city called Pinecreek."

"Or what's left of it anyway." Commented Sword.

"Left of it?" Shulk repeated to himself. He saw the decay of the living room, then though back of the place he woken up. He was in a dead town. And this dead town was crawling with…

Shulk sprung up from the bed and dashed towards the window. Looking outside as he gripped his weapon.

"Woah! Why are you so jumpy? Was it the food?" Asked Villager.

"Did they come?" Asked Shulk.

"They?" Sword questioned. Something in his gut told him he already knew the answer but he wanted to learn more from the teen.

"Have you encountered them? The beasts that roam the land?" Shulk was confused to how they haven't already encountered them yet. "Have you not seen them yet?"

"We don't know what you are referring to. Can you be more specific?" Requested Mega Man. Shulk let go of the window sill and looked at all of the colorful characters in the room. They really haven't seen them, have they? If that's true, he had to warn them. Shulk thought back of his earliest memories of when he woken up, and told the entire story.

"I had a run-in with them shortly after I woke up. I found myself in an abandoned diner. I left my seat and went exploring. I found another dilapidated building soon after, I think it was a mechanic shop. I went inside and took a look at the electronics and vehicles that had there. And that's when I saw it..."

* * *

 _Shulk had been walking and walking for ages in the snow. His current apparel made him wish he had spare coat on hand, but beggars can't be choosers. The mechanic shop proved to be warmer than the road so he took refuge. There was plenty of scrap and tools on the floor, but what caught his eye was the vehicle that stood before him._

 _It was a car, he saw a few of them back on Bionis, but this looks very different than the ones he's aware of. It appeared to be mechanical and its components were probably hidden under the blue frame, but other than that it looks to be very… simple._

 _Shulk popped open the hood and took a look. The battery looked to be new, as if it was inserted in recently, but everything else was worse for ware, especially the engine. This vehicle wouldn't be able to move even if it wanted to._

 _Before he can investigate more, his ears perked up. Was that crunching? He propped up his head to see a several figures crouched over something. He couldn't see much else, the darkness made sure of that._

' _More people!' Shulk thought aloud. He stepped towards the moving shadows and vocalized. "Hey there! Yes! You over there! Can you tell me where I am? I seem to be lost."_

 _The figures froze._

" _Are you okay?"_

 _The figures turned around, the problem of the shadows passed. He saw them in full view, front and center. They were not Hom. They were shaped like a Hom, but their bodies were all furry and antlers were both on their heads. The closet thing he had to compare them to, were the Apricas._

 _They were chewing on something hard, the teen squinted his eyes to see a bleached white skeleton resting on the floor; teeth marks all over. "What?" That was the only word he managed to get out before the creatures screeched a horrible scream and charged straight towards Shulk._

 _Shulk took out the Monado; the blue light beamed out of the red shell in the form of a blade. "Stand back! I'm warning you!" He cried out to them, but they ignored him. The first one lunged forward, Shulk slashed him down and propelled it back into a stack of boxes._

 _But the second got a hold of him, it bit him on the arm and it wasn't letting go, it had a strong grip too. Shulk yelped in pain as he was forced to bring down the Monado onto its head._

 _The resulting attack forced it to let go, but then it lunged again. It pinned his shoulder to the ground. The creature was trying to rip the flesh off his face with its teeth, but Shulk's legs were pushing it back. "What's gotten into you?!" Shulk exclaimed as he thrusted the sword into the creatures gut, propelling the monster back a few feet._

 _Shulk examined his arm; no wound, there wasn't even blood. That shouldn't be right, it bit so hard, what was that all about._

 _He saw both of the creatures getting back up, drool and foam leaked from their mouths. These are foes are fast and powerful. It not wise to fight them alone, he had to get out of there._

 _He turned around to see a much larger antler monster towering over him, it had more muscle and lips had been bitten off; teeth on full display. It gave a snarl before attempting to grab him. Shulk dodge and ran to the door and out the street. He kept running, but he could hear those screams and snarls coming after him. He looked back, there were more of them. He worked off his skinny faster than he ever did before, he kept running, and running until the screams faded and then ran some more._

* * *

Shulk finished his story, shivering either from the cold or the experience he just recounted. He couldn't tell. The people around him were horrified, especially Swordfighter, who paced around the carpet.

"Crap… it's actually real." He said.

The Hom was confused. "What do you exactly mean by that, Sword?"

Sword stopped his pacing, and looked through the window before answering. "When we came here, we only had minimal information at best to what happened here. But… we did came across one journal that claimed they were attacked by horned bipedal creatures before this town went dead. If what you're saying is true, then they're responsible for this hellscape." The swordsman avoided the topic of the attic. no need for that right now.

The wind was the only voice in the room that spoke, the thoughts of these monsters barging into their shelter to gnaw on their flesh was a wakeup call. Gunner then began to worry about Brawler.

"Shulk, if you don't mind me asking when did this attack take place?" Rosalina asked.

Shulk grabbed his pant leg, and thought. "How long was I out?"

Villager pulled out a pocket watch from back pocket and looked at the needle. "About an hour."

"Let's see… If I was out for that long, combined with the time I ran from those monsters… Three hours."

"GREE?!" Exclaimed the frog. He hastily wrote on his pad before twisting it around. **"The creatures were chasing you for two straight hours?!"**

"Not for the entire duration." Clarified Shulk. "I lost sight of them much earlier. But I kept hearing their howling. I didn't want to risk it so I kept going."

"This not good, if this attack was recent that means these monsters are still active.

For all we know those things could be roaming around the farm and wouldn't even have known." Said Mega Man. "We've been compromised."

"Maybe not!" Retorted Gunner. "We haven't any attacks during our stay here. They might not even be interested in this farm."

"We might as well me compromised." Said Sword. "Aside from the door this place doesn't have any real defenses against attackers. We didn't see Shulk here until he was half-way to the barn. What if next time we get visitors it's a whole army of those crazy monsters? We have to leave this place."

Greninja scribbled **"Leaving this place is a group decision, Sword."**

Sword lowered his head and sighed. "I know that man. I'm just saying we've got to prepare at the very least. Walking on foot is not really an option because of the cold-"

"And the fact we could be easily jumped?" Added Gunner.

"Yeah. That too. We have the car though but that's a bit of a challenge." Sword admitted

"You got a car?" Shulk asked, thing back to the vehicle he saw before being chased.

"Yeah it's in the garage."

"What's the challenge exactly?"

"The car is missing some key components." Answered Mega Man. "The battery is long dead and the gas tank is empty."

"Are there any more problems with the car?" Pressed the Hom.

"Aside from that, no. The car is in good condition, just needs the essentials to move and stuff."

"But we haven't been able to get our hands on either since we don't know where to look." Sword lifted his hand by the fireplace when realization kicked in. "Shulk, you said you came across a mechanic shop before being chased by the monsters right?"

"That's right."

"Do you know how to get your way back to the shop?"

Shulk stared idly before nodding. "Yeah I do, I remember which way to go on the road."

"This is great! We have a potential spot to look for the necessary items." Exclaimed Sword.

"But according to Shulk, it would at least take two hours to get their and back. It's quite a risk." Gunner pointed out.

"We've been risking our well-being ever since we stepped foot in this frozen town. We been risking our safety eating the food, we've been risking our safety just by walking around, it wouldn't be long until each breath we take would be a risk. But this definitely shows promise, I'll definitely take the risk if it gets us one step closer to getting back home. I don't know about you, but I'm really missing the beds back at the mansion."

"Yeah." Gunner muttered. "I missed the seeing the sun and going on the beach."

"Exactly, this is to getting back home."

"Wait. We should get the other three back here and explain the situation. We need to go fetch them." Said Rosalina. Luma nodded in agreement with her mother.

Villager peered out the window. "No need for that." The princess was about to ask why but then the door flung opened. Shulk saw a pale fitness trainer, a boxer, and a guy in a red shirt barged into the house and locked the door behind them.

"Where the hell my gun?" Demanded the red shirt. Mega Man pointed to the top sill of the fireplace. The fist-fighter marched up and began reloading it with some spare bullets in his pockets. "Can't believe I left this damn thing here!"

"Guys! What's going on?" Said Sword.

"Turns out we're not completely alone out here." Little Mac panted. "At least we were hidden."

"H-Hidden?!" Gunner stammered. "What did you guys saw out there exactly?"

"Turns out the book was right, people." Answered Wii Fit. "It didn't see us, but we for sure saw it. And let me tell you, the antlers looked very big up close."


	70. Chapter 70: Techma Fields Revisited

**Chapter 70: Techma Fields Revisited**

A robotic bee was flying over the meadows of the Techma Fields. Its artificial wing fluttered as it imagined how much tasty honey it will extract.

 ***SPLAT!***

Then it got hit by the windshield.

"Did someone shoot us?!" Lucario pulled out his paws aura coming off his fingers. "I heard something the glass."

"It's fine." Fox tried to ease his fingers on the steering wheel, turning on the windshield wipers to get rid of the splotch of oil and metal. "It was one of the insects from around here. Just calm now and relax."

"Telling someone to relax just seconds before a fight is counter-productive, Fox." Snake said as he loaded up his Cracker Launcher with a plethora of specialized firecrackers.

"You know what I mean."

Lucario looked out the window. The Blue Falcon was trailing besides them with Captain Falcon piloting and Dr. Mario sitting in the back, tossing a multicolored pill in his hand meaningfully. He'll never understand how the original Mario and that Mario were once the same person.

They had to form an emergency team on the spot. He, Link, Snake, and Fox were already available for the cause. Dr. Mario also wanted in on the action, said something about being too cramped in the office. But they still needed two more people, luckily Captain Falcon was at the right place at the right time, as well as Luigi. They flew off towards the fields, hoping to reach there in time.

Luigi was currently in possession of the communicator. It almost slipped out of his hands when it started buzzing. "We are almost a there guys! How's the situation?"

" _Oh ah ook ook ahh ohh ohh, oh ah ahh ohhhhh ok." (We are holding our ground. but they are piling on.)_ Diddy explained from the device. The sounds of stomping and fire was heard from the other side.

" _[Just hold on for moment, Diddy. They should be there any moment now.]"_ R.O.B. replied from all the way from the mansion. _"Before I ask anything else, have you seen the Newcomer at all?"_

" _Oh ah ook ok, ook ah oh ok okk." (We didn't get the chance, we still have the signal though.)_ The sounds of explosion boomed through the speaker. _"OH OK AK AH OK!?" (THEY HAVE BOMBS!?)_

Link pulled out his sword. "We can't wait any longer. Fox?"

"Right over the target!" The vulpine said. Both air vehicles hovered midair over the landing point. Diddy, Pichu, Zero Suit, Peach and Lucas were onto top of a rather large hill. An army of Primids were pulling on the grass, using it to get one step closer to their target. All of the Smashers below kept shooting their individual projectiles. It halted their progress. Some of the attackers were killed but they still pushed forward.

"What's the game plan?" Snake asked.

"The army is somewhat spread out." Voiced the Hylian. "I suggest some of us should go down there whiles the others stay up above and shoot the Primids."

"Already got that covered." Snake held up his firecracker bazooka.

'I can't use the ships blasters, as we'd be risking the safety of the Diddy's team." Fox pulled out his own gun. "However I'm a pretty good shot myself. If need more assistance me and Snake will drop items for you to use."

" _Jumping into the action? Not a bad plan."_ Said Lucario.

"U-Uh… guys!" Luigi pointed to the window. "Falcon and the Dr. Mario are getting a head start."

The hatch to the Blue Falcon opened. Both Veterans jumped out of the cockpit, landing gracefully on the field without a scratch. Some of the Primids noticed them and went on the offensive. Captain Falcon fist was ablaze and Dr. Mario held two large pills in both hands. They give each other a nod before charging forward.

" _Best not to leave them hanging."_ Lucario replied. Pulled out the Home-Run Bat from the bag and held it firmly in his paws and looked towards Luigi. _"Keep Diddy and R.O.B. on the line, other than that help in any way you can."_

"I a will!" Luigi shouted.

The jackal turned to see Link jumping out from a door leading to the outside of the ship. _"Focus your attention on the higher Primids, We'll handle lower!"_ Announced Lucario as he followed the Hero of time into the sky.

The wind felt was cold, but it was nowhere as chilling as his own heart bumping against his chest. He gracefully popped the bones in his knuckles, landed straight on his knees, and charged his aura through the red and black bat.

A group of Primids abandoned their endeavor on the top and instead focused on taking him down. Some had swords, some had guns, and couple threw fireballs out of their fingertips.

Link sprinted forward with his shield out in front of him. A couple of shots were blocked but several prominent plasma bolts hit his legs and hip. Adding up quite the percentage. He was pained, but continued forth. He slammed his shield into the face of a shooter Primid then pierced the chest of sword user.

Four Primids with blasters silently crept up on the Hylian, believing to be hidden until the hero of time spun around like a dreidel on bisected all his foes.

Two sword Primid were approaching the jackal, plasma swords beaming with heat and light. The aura Pokémon stood firm, he positioned his bat in a downward diagonal position. Took a deep breath, and let his fury did the work.

The dashed to the first and side-stepped the blade, he twisted his waist and hit the dark creature on the temple. He didn't bother seeing that thing fly like a kite; it was fight or flight. Lucario jumped in the air and prepared to land his bat on other one's skull but it blocked it with his sword.

Lucario returned to the ground, their weapons met and pushed against each other like a twisted arm-wresting contest. The Primid punched the jackal in the snout. Lucario snarled and emitted a strong blast of aura from his paw. The monster walked backwards a couple of steps before falling on its back; the Pokemon doubt it could survive with a giant hole where it's heart used to be.

A Primid snuck up on him and sliced his sword through the neck, or so it dreamed. The moment the blade touched the jackal's neck he disappeared. The Primid was stunned before Lucario teleported back; making the monster kiss the foot that had just broken his neck.

Lucario took another breath and was hit against his back, his fur felt hot. He was on fire. He took the initiative and rolled on the grass, putting out the fire. He got back up and saw four fire Primids forming flaming orbs in their hand. They all took a step and was blasted away, the pretty lights and the smell of gunpowder momentarily distracted Lucario until he remembered the ship.

He looked back up Snake and Fox were on the wing. The American solider kept launching small but powerful firecrackers out of his launcher as the vulpine readied his pistol and directed small laser bolts into the chests and heads of every Primid he can lay his eye on.

Lucario sighed in relief and tried to look for his bat. Where was it? Did that fireball blast it away?

"OOK! AHH OK OK AHHH!" (GUYS! THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER!) Diddy shouted from above.

He'll have to do without the bat. There's a monkey that needs saving. Lucario charged his arm with aura as he leaped into battle.

"Nice shot. They teach you to use bazookas in the military?" Fox commented, not moving his head of his target.

"Rocket launchers. And yes, I was trained to use a variety of weapons." Snake answered as he fired another fire cracker at a cluster of Primids.

"Look! There are the metals that Diddy warned about!" The vulpine pointed at a line of silvery metal figures leading the charge of the army. A full single ring of metal Primids. Diddy's team had trouble pushing them back. Metal Primids were dangerous, not only can they withstand the hardest of blows their punch are equally as brutal.

"We can't let them reach the top." Snake leveled his sights near the top of the hill. "I'm going for it."

"Alright, try avoid blasting away or pals whiles you're at it." Fox said as he burned a hole into the skull of a sword Primid.

"Will do." The solider adjusted his weapon left, right, up and down. Fire crackers rained from the sky on the unsuspecting ring. The metallic Primids and their men behind them were blasted away. Several of the metal ones survived but basing on how dented they were it won't be long until they are finished off. The Smashers ears will be ringing but at least they won't be swarmed now.

"I'm out. How convenient." Snake declared as he threw the bazooka back on the ship. "There are still too many down there. Luigi! Do we have another one of those firecrackers in there?"

The Italian plumber appeared outside the door. "No, Snake. We're all out."

"Dammit." Snake pulled out his pistol. "Looks like I have to do this up close and personal." He turned to Luigi again. "Hand me a smart bomb."

"You could stay up here and just switch the scope." Fox suggested.

"Nah, those things aren't effective at this range. Besides, Personally I prefer the ground." He took the bomb from Luigi and went to the edge. "Keep us covered and don't be shy with the supply drops."

"Trust me, I plan to be very generous with those." Fox replied. Snake gave him a nod before jumping off the wing. "Well… are you going to help?" The vulpine asked Luigi.

"Oh! Right." The Veteran formed balls of green flames and chucked them down from the sky. Fox returned his eye to his gun's sights and kept firing.

As Snake dived in the distance. Dr. Mario and Captain Falcon were having their own battle. They were at the upper portion of the hill but not quite at the tippy top. Both bounty hunter and doctor were at back and back. They were in the middle of empty circle of the horde, and the circle was growing smaller.

Electrical arcs danced around Dr. Mario's gloves. "What a fine day for an ass kicking isn't Captain a Falcon?"

"I agree." A bird-shaped fire formed on his entire arm. "What you say after this we'll have a good ole fashion battle to the death? Just you and me."

"Deal!"

Mario dual-wielded his shocking lighting and bitter pills on separate hands. The electricity formed loops and lines as it engulfed multiple Primids silently yelped, dropping their weapons of choice on the ground as their muscles fused, then finally expired. The pills propelled out of his hand like miniature rockets crashing into the skulls and chests of the Primids, the blunt force was definite deal breaker.

Captain Falcon was beating a swarm of own with bare fist. The flaming bird mimicked the sounds of screeching and hawking as it collided with many stomachs and jaws. The best feat of today was when a metal Primid went up to challenge him. The smirk went away as the front of its chest melted half-way. Turns out heat was an effective weapon against such foes.

The circle began growing in size, the horde was now running up the slope or retreating elsewhere. Of couple of them were stubborn though. The two monsters held boomerangs, they winded up their arms…

Then a green fireball hit the one on the right. The doctor and hunter paused. So did the other Primid. It was so distracted by its partner swaying his flaming body around it didn't notice the laser burning into its neck before it was too late.

Dr. Mario looked at the tiny specks at the wings. "Good shot." He said to no one in particular.

Lucario, Snake and Link joined up with the rest of the ground force and proceeded to the last remaining Primid on the hill.

All five went into action as they pushed themselves to the battle.

Snake pulled out his gun.

Lucario flared up his aura.

Link branded his sword.

Dr. Mario manifested a large pill in his hand.

Captain Falcon cracked his knuckles.

When they finally got up… Diddy's team already handed the situation. The little monkey aimed his popgun at the head of a Primid. The little nut busted his head into dark shadows. "Ok oh ok ahh ooh?" (What took you so long?) Diddy repeated Snake's infamous catch phrase with a smile.

The entire hill was littered with corpses of the Primids. Slowly they began to degrade into Shadow Bugs and goo, soon enough it dissipated; the grass became green once again.

" _Is everyone alright? Do you need the doc to patch you up?"_ Asked Lucario.

"No. We're fine." Reassured Peach. "Just a bit exhausted is all. Can't believe we've been jumped by those things."

"You've been jumped?" Snake questioned.

"We were walking around the fields, following the signal when the Primids came out of nowhere." Lucas explained. "The shadow blobs popped out of ground and formed into an army. We had to give a call back to base because they were so many."

"The correct term is Shadow Bug, Lucas." Reminded Zero Suit.

The Great Fox lowered down to the ground. Fox and Luigi hopped out of the ship and met up with everyone.

"Glad to see no one bit the dust." The vulpine grabbed the communicator from Luigi. "R.O.B., the rescue team is now secure. What now?"

" _[The computers are still sensing a signal and it's not too far from you either. Try using the new tracking function on the communicator and call back to me.]"_

"Will do, R.O.B." Fox pressed some buttons on the device to the plumber's confusion.

"Tracking function?" Luigi said.

"It's a new feature R.O.B. added to this device. When you're close to the signal, you can track it with first hand without the use of getting directions from command center." Fox said. "It's recently new, so I have the liberty of testing it out."

"Oh…"

"So team." Fox lowered the communicator to his side and faced everyone. "Not that I want to cut the celebration and be _that guy…_ But what the hell happened here. You guys had training on how to stealthy avoid hostiles."

Pichu jumped and down, voicing his squeaky retorts. "Pic chu pi pi. Pich chu Pi ch chu!" (It wasn't our fault. They popped out of the ground!).

"Popped out of the ground. You mean like a mole?" The vulpine was confused.

" _Apparently so."_ Lucario rubbed his chin. _"This is peculiar. Usually those Bugs would just float in midair and stand in a path and form when they encounter a Smasher. Never heard of those things popping out of the ground like that."_

"You think those things are getting smarter?" Snake asked.

" _Or maybe the hands have been working hard on their strategy."_ The jackal looked out to the field, making sure that there were no more monsters that can strike them down without warning.

"We can report our findings to later." Fox showcased the communicator again. "The Newcomer is just over the next hill. Let's go get the guy and retreat back to base."

"Agreed." Snake said.

Diddy's team and Fox's team went over the hill as foretold. The rush from earlier had finally began to slow down, it made climbing a bitch, but it's only a temporary pain. When they got to the top, they finally reached the signal. But it was something they would never thought they would ever find. All of their eyes went up like windows.

Lucario spoke what was on everyone's mind. _"What in the name of Arceus is that?"_

* * *

 **Latest chapter is up guys. Sorry I tool so long to get this out. I had to work on academics and stuff. But I'll try to be more timely.**


	71. Chapter 71: The Smell of Evil

**Chapter 71: The Smell of Evil**

It was hardly a difficult decision to make, with the revelation that their "safe" sanctuary was a safe no more it was slowly becoming a bad idea to separate from one another. The Newcomers traveled down the side of the road; Shulk leading them like a wolf guiding his pack. They all held their weapons out, they weren't taking any chances. The last thing they ever want was teeth biting down on their faces.

"So you are a precog?" Asked Wii Fit.

The Hom nodded. "Yeah, ever since I took up this sword as my weapon, I gained that ability."

" **How powerful is your abilities exactly? Can you see whether this trip to the station will be successful or not?"** The ninja frog showed the paper to Shulk.

He shook his head. "I can't foretell everything in the future, I can't control really. It goes on and off from time to time. It's annoying but it helped me out so far, so I can't really complained."

Brawler was distracted as he felt something metallic hit his feet. He looked down to see a beer can resting by his toe. He picked it up hoping… but was disappointed to find it empty. He tossed the junk to the side. "Shulk, is it? How much longer to the shop?"

The teen was silent as he recall the landmarks he viewed on his unintentionally marathon. "We're not that far… I think."

"You think?!" the fist-fighter jogged to the Newcomer's side and stared into his eyes. "We're taking a risk out here and no you're getting unsure? Now's a bad time to suddenly develop memory problems, kid!"

Sword pulled on Brawler's shirt. Forcing him back a few inches. "Cool your jets, man. He probably didn't take the length into account when… oh I don't know… getting chase by a bunch of deer men." Spat the Mii.

"You know I really think you two should take up some yoga, it might help unwind all that stress." Wii Fit teased to the expense of the Miis.

Sword and Brawler had deadpanned looks. "I want to lose my foot up your ass. I really do." Said the fist-fighter.

Villager instinctively attempted to disarm the scuffle. "Hey guys, I think Shulk wants to say something." They all turned to the teen. Shulk didn't like being on the spotlight but he did wanted to speak his mind.

"As Swordfighter said, I don't know the exact length we'll have to go to reach the store. But I'm confident on the direction. I only need to keep in mind of the landmarks."

Greninja scribbled. **"Landmarks?"**

"I kept track of some objects when I was running." Shulk explained. "That's how I know where it is. I made a mental map so to speak."

"Ok. So how landmarks are left?" Gunner asked.

"The last landmark is a crooked "STOP" sign. After a couple of minutes of walking is the shop."

"Are you sure?"

"Brawler." Said Sword.

"I swear on my life I'm sure." Assured Shulk. We just need to keep up the paste.

The group resume moving again. The precog kept his eyes on any road signs whiles his new "friends" scanned for any monsters. As he walked, the loss of his friends had just now his him full force. Where had they've been this entire time? Have they gotten transported with him and they've couldn't find him? Or were they still back home? "Hey, can I ask a question?"

"Of course you can, what is it Shulk?" Asked Mega Man.

"Have your group encountered other people? Like maybe a guy with red hair or a creature that looks similar to a fuzzy egg?"

Sword shook his head. "No, you're the first living person we've seen since coming here."

"You sound very specific, are you looking for somebody?" Little Mac pressed?

Shulk sighed, he didn't know if now's the right time to pouring out his problems onto his saviors turning an ongoing crisis, but since they asked it'll only be rude to avoid the question. "Yes. I'm looking for my friends."

"Oh sweetie." comforted Rosalina.

"I don't know how I got to this "WOT"? But I'm really worried about my pals. They're probably worried about me right now, or worse… fending for themselves against the cold."

"Trust me, your friends didn't come here with you. They're safe and sound back at Bionis." Spoke Sword.

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah, we're very familiar with this sort of thing." Explained Gunner.

"If they're still back with the Titans… then all I need to do is get on a boat and drive it all the way back to my home." Shulk replied. The group froze in their tracks. Shulk continued walking until he noticed the silence behind him. He turned back. "What?"

"Did you say a boat?" Repeated Wii Fit.

"Yeah. Since this WOT is just an island on this planet, all I have to do is find a boat and sail it there."

"Oh… yeah. We didn't go into that did we?" Acknowledged Mega Man. It was then that the Newcomers realized that they failed to explain that their world and his world were completely separate from one another. It was only a scratch on the surface of explaining the true situation of his predicament.

"I beg your pardon?" Said a visibly confused Shulk.

Rosalina cleared her throat. "Shulk… The World of Trophies and Bionis… they're two-"

"Hey guys! Look!" Villager pointed to a structure a in the distance; a 1 story building conjoined to what appears to be a gas station. A sign had the words: "Mickey's Auto Repair and Gas Co." on the front. The building sustained damages from the snow and break-ins alike, but overall it was in decent condition. "Is that the place?"

"Yeah it is." Shulk droned as he observed the front. "Repair shop? That make sense… why didn't I see the sign the first time?"

"We made it, know we can get those parts-" Villager was about to run but was pulled back by Greninja. The frog shook his head quickly and wrote on the page then showcased it to the group.

" **Don't be hasty. If Shulk's story is correct, then there's a possibility those monsters are still inside."**

"Hey, before we do that. We need to tell you something Shulk." Rosaline said.

"Normally, I would agree to listen, but we don't have much daylight to spare. But I'll definitely open my ears when we're on the road." Shulk told the princess as he pulled out his sword and slowly advanced towards the building.

"Yep, looks like our luck is turning around." Brawler whispered to Sword. "We didn't happen to have spare tissues in the house by chance do we?"

The blonde was about to open up his mouth then immediately closed it. "Just go easy on the guy after the revelation will ya?"

"Of course, what kind of asshole do you take me for?"

"A real crappy one."

The rest of the gang went behind Shulk's footsteps and armed themselves as well. Their most recent arrival to the team look at the door of the mechanic shop and the window of the conjoining gas station. "Two entry ways… and two ways this can go wrong." He took a deep breath.

"Have you checked the gas station?" asked Wii Fit.

"No I haven't gotten the chance during my first time here." Shulk said. "I came from the left so I didn't see what was behind the glass either."

"Do you think those monsters are still inside?" Villager tipped toed to the mechanic door when Rosalina put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's hope not. The less encounters the better."

"On the risk of sounding like a dying cliché in a horror movie, maybe we should split up?" Sword suggested. "We could cover up more ground in order to get this scavenge quicker, not to mention we can warn each other if any monsters come around."

"Considering that there are ten of us here, splitting us up won't be an issue either." Said Mac.

"Alright, if we're going this route I'll task myself with the shop. The rest of spots is up to you." Shulk stood by the mechanic's door. Waiting for everyone to make their choice. After a moment of shuffling, the teams have been decided: Shulk, Greninja, Villager, Rosalina and Gunner will go the shop whiles Brawler, Sword, Wii Fit, Mega Man and Little Mac check the station.

"So we either get eaten in a place that was checked before, or check a new place and still get eaten… maybe we should tell the big scary deer people we're made of tofu that should scare them off."

"Oh shut up, Brawler." The fitness trainer said as their group entered through the gas station's doors.

Shulk placed a hand on the door. "Ok everybody, I'm opening the door. Keep your guard up." He said as he slowly pushed the door open. The group was packed together, fearing the signs of antlers.

The garage was the exact same as Shulk have seen it. The car was still there, cobwebs were still sticking to the corners of the room, and the dust was tickling his nose. Actually… there was one thing that was different. The skeleton, it was missing. All that was left were a couple of ribs heavily damaged by teeth marks.

"Does anyone see those things?" Villager asked. Rosalina create an aura of light from her wand, making it easier to search around.

Rosalina and Luma went under their knees and looked below the vehicle they were planning to scavenge. "Well they're not under the car."

Gunner shook as she put her hand on a door, she swung it open. A broom fell on feet, confused she looked inside and was relieved. "Nothing in the broom closet."

"And those monsters aren't hanging above us either." Shulk commented as he observed the ceiling. "At least we won't be jumped from above…?" It was then that he noticed Greninja kneeling over what was left of the corpse, he examined a rib whiles speaking to himself in his native language. "Something on your mind, Greninja?"

The frog looked at him and placed the piece back on the floor, then he reached back to his clipboard and wrote a sentence on the sheet. **"In the story, you said they were gnawing on the skeleton, and now they're almost no bones left. What possessed these creatures to have an uncontrollable appetite for human flesh?"**

It was hard to see the lettering but Villager understood. "Maybe they were hungry?"

"I think's that the point, Villager." Rosalina pointed out.

"No I mean… it could be their biology and stuff?"

" **An accelerated metabolism would explain their hunger. But their savageness has yet to be answered."** Wrote Greninja.

' _Hmm… Monsters that can't resist eating people and have antlers… It's on the tip of my tongue.'_ Gunner was tapping on her chin, racking her grey matter to figure out why that concept seemed familiar enough, but she can't just reach it. _'Darn, I'm out of luck. Why can't I recall. It just seems so familiar.'_

Gunner's thoughts changed when she saw Shulk popping off the hood of the car. "How's the battery, Shulk? Can we use it?" Asked Rosalina.

Shulk nodded his head. "The rest of the parts are no good but the battery is good condition. I just need to get all the attachments off. Hey know that I think about it, we haven't check the interior of the car have we?"

"I already look through the windows; no monsters." The princess nodded his head.

"That's fantastic. Still we should still check, there might be something valuable inside."

"I'll do it!" Volunteered Villager.

"No you won't, Villager." Said Rosalina. "Normally I would allow it, but in this case. Why don't you stand by Luma as I look inside?"

Villager went pouty, but ultimately gave in. "Okay." He spoke as he absently stood by the star creature, both of them watching the blonde in the blue dress investigating the vehicle.

Gunner watched as Shulk did his work on getting out the battery. Maybe now wasn't the best for chit chat, but yet again it's not like they can ever get a true break in this world. If he was going to stay with them, it would be at least smart to bond with him. "Hey Shulk, can I ask you a question?"

The teen looked at her. "Sure, shoot."

"The titans you were talking about, did you say your people lived on one of them?" The shooter asked curiously.

Shulk rubbed the back of his head as he kept working. "Yeah, it's a bit complicated. You may not believe me seeing you guys were never there… um… basically one of the titans held all kinds of species of biological life whiles the other held mechanical life. The factions on these two titans went to war for a long time, they had they special robots to fight against the Bionis but we had this special weapon, the one on my back." He gestured to the red sword hanging on his shirt. "But it can only be held by very few people. My sister got captured and was turned a robot but we turned her to normal again. Then I found out that at one point I held a god inside my body… Like I said, you probably think it's far out there."

" **It sounds pretty complicated, but I believe it."** Wrote Greninja. **"In fact I have heard stranger."**

Shulk rose an eyebrow. "Stranger? Like how?"

"Well a lot of the Smashers we know all have pretty unique and far out there backstories." Said Villager. "Like me for example, I was in charge of a town that was solely inhabited by animals, on the first day I arrived I became the mayor! Ain't that sweet."

" **I'm a frog that can control water into various bladed weapons. I used to live in a country that hid from people that wanted to capture me in their balls."**

"I don't have a backstory as I have amnesia, but I like to think mine was… awesome." Gunner sheepishly said.

"And I was a princess that lived in a ship in outer space. Guarding over a star-shaped species called Luma. Once I had to assist a plumber in battling against a turtle to save another princess." Rosalina exited the vehicle and held a shiny object in her hands. "I didn't find much, but this compass might prove useful to our way back home."

Shulk jaw dropped slightly as his eyes widened. "Yeah… that last one seemed on part with mine."

" **Do you have trouble believing it?"** Greninja written.

"Somewhat, but considering the fact that I now know there is life other than the titans – I'm keeping my mind open. The universe I much bigger than I realize." Shulk awed. A moment later, he got the correctly unhooked the battery and carried it in his left hand. "My friends would absolutely love you guys, I can't imagine how'd they react when they hear this."

Gunner cringed. Yep, she was afraid it was going to come to that. It was easier for her to shake it off the fact she could never return home, because that home she had long forgotten wasn't her home to begin with. It was different for everyone, but they all carried that same amount of shock. They've dealt with emotional breakdowns before, they manage to work out Villager's case after all. But it'll be hard to provide such comfort in a cold world like this. Would their new friend abandon them altogether or have a worse breakdown from the news? That's the last thing they need in a time like this.

"Ah! Finally got it out." Shulk pulled out the battery from the vehicle and held it one hand. "Hasn't hard at all, the cables were a bit rusted but I managed to pry them off." It was then that he noticed the discomforting faces of his teammates. "What's wrong? Was it something I said?"

It was then that Shulk's eyes flashed blue, his hand gripped his sword fiercely.

"…S-Shulk?" Muttered Gunner.

"Hold this." Shulk pushed the battery in Gunner's arms and ran at the door to their right. The Hom slashed it into two pieces and barged inside. The convenience store was ransacked, no doubt by looting from long ago, but there were still plenty of valuables inside. The rest of the newcomers were throwing as much as they can carry into plastic shopping bags.

"Shulk?! Why did-"

He didn't listen to Sword as he sprinted to where Wii Fit was, who currently trying to gain access to one of the bathrooms. "Stop. Don't go in there!" Whispered Shulk.

"What?" Said a confused fitness trainer.

"No time. Just back away… very slowly." He cautiously warned.

Wii Fit vision went back to the door, she walked a couple of steps but then something banged behind the door. Everyone's attention was at the male's bathroom. Two more bangs were heard until the door swung opened.

A groaning was heard from the darkness until a deer-like monster ran ten-fold to the pale woman. Everyone was taken off guard, but not Shulk. With one swift swing of his sword, he launched the monster up and behind the counter.

A terrible shriek echoed through the stalls of the restroom. The Newcomers shivered as the sound assaulted their ears.

"Oh no." Muttered Gunner.

Brawler pulled out his revolver. "Dammit! Get ready!"

Two more deermen ran out into the store. Brawler shot the one left piercing its cheek, that creature cringed before snarling, then leaping on all fours in the direction of the offender.

The other one sprinted to Shulk, who dodge a swipe of his laser blade to his neck. It threw a punch in the throat of the Hom. Wii Fit manage to spawn a soccer ball and threw it at its snout. It hurt, but not enough for it to pin the female with its antler to the floor.

It was almost hard for Gunner to tell what's going on. Everyone was panicking or fighting, or fighting and panicking. Gunner went weak to her knees and was about to scream but by sheer luck gained her composure. _'No, I can do this. I've been trained for this, and I got support. I can do this. I won't give in to fear.'_

Gunner held caution with the battery in her hand, if it got destroyed in the onslaught this entire mission would have been all for nothing. So instead, she set the car part on the counter…

And her hand was grabbed by the arm of a deerman from the other side of the counter.

' _Oh god it got me, help me lord god!'_ Gunner frantically pulled her arm as she slowly witnessed the antler rising over the edge. "Help!" She cried her plea through the aisles of chips and cookies.

Greninja was successfully throwing off the rabid abomination of a monster off Wii Fit as his sensitive ears managed to pick it up. He turned and instinctively formed water kunais in his webbed hands.

The Pokémon's shadow propelled near the shooter's position, in a moment he teleported in front of the damsel in distress and tried to pry the filthy claw off of her arm. The deerman finally stood up on its own two feet, drool dripped from its teeth. The monster's arm twitched excitedly as it tried to claw the girl's eyes.

Greninja saw this and caught the attack to prevent its nails from doing the unspeakable. Then it pressed the arm of the deer on the counter and stabbed the water-based blade right through the flesh of the hand and trapping him to the wood.

It cried as it failed to pull its hand back to its side. It was open, Gunner knew that this was the perfect opportunity to land a blow. She focused her arm cannon at the beast and prepared to charge a plasma ball to inflict damage.

The deerman shook its head and lunged its jaw directly to Gunner's forehead. The Mii yelped and defensively used and arm to block the bite. That arm happened to be the one carrying the cannon. It bit repeatedly in a confused haze, wondering why it was tasting metal instead of skin.

The pressure canceled the charging of plasma, but fortunately fired a grenade in its gullet. The creature let go of Gunner as it choked, scraping its neck out of desperation until its entire head exploded like a firework. The neck practically turned into a fountain as the body dropped to the floor, only being held up by the kunai.

Greninja pulled out the weapon that pinned the creature's hand, then knelt to Gunner. Wiping away the few specks of dark blood on her cheek. Gunner was panting heavily, but thankfully she wasn't crying. She gracefully took the free hand and allowed herself to be pulled up by the frog.

"Thanks… I thought… it was so close-"

Greninja put a finger on her lips and nodded. He swung his head behind him; that same creature he'd pulled off was now harassing a large group of Newcomers. The Pokémon gave her a wink before sprinting off to join the fight.

' _He didn't even break a sweat. How tough is this guy?'_ Gunner thought. She considered following after her rescuer when the shattering of glass stole her attention. Sword, Little Mac, and Villager were battling against a deerman by one of the store aisles. It should have been an unfair fight for the creature but surprising the Newcomers were having trouble.

The young mayor fired off his slingshot but it missed. An uppercut by the creature forced the Smasher up in the air and on top of a display fridge. He groaned a bit; eyes darting until it stopped on the female Mii. "Gunner… little help here?"

They say witnessing a kid in peril brings out the protective instinct almost out of all people. If that's true, then Gunner living proof of it. With new found braveness, she narrowed her eyes and sprinted to the monster.

She fired off multiple machine gun-like rounds of pure energy at the deerman's chest. It didn't kill but it certainly slowed it down. The monster stretched its elongated jaws and attempted to bite Mac's skull. The boxer simple rolled underneath its legs, giving Swordfighter the floor.

The blonde Mii simply blocked the bite with the use of his force field, almost smiling on how he'd finally managed to perfect the technique to his liken. For retaliation Sword used his sword to slash multiple times at his enemy's chest, didn't even slow it down at all. It tried to bite again but a forceful punch into its back by Little Mac forced it to get on its knees

An injury like that would have killed or paralyzed anyone, but this wasn't a normal creature, yet again, they weren't exactly normal either.

Villager finally got off from the fridge and fell on the ground using his feet. In a space between the shelves showed that the tables had turned, but the creature was still fighting. They had to finish it off with something powerful to take it down. But what in their arsenal can possible do that?...

Of course… the tree!

Villager took out his trusty trowel and pierced the floor, the matter around the blade transformed into dirt, allowing him to place a seed in the pocket of fresh soil. A quick drizzle from his water can sped up the growth of the plant, turning it from simple sapling to adult tree in a couple of seconds. He brought out his axe when he saw Rosalina and Luma floating to him.

"There you, Villager. I was worried. What are you doing?"

"Just trying to help out my friends, Miss Rosalina." Spoke Villager. "Can you please push the tree down when I finally cut it?

The princess nodded "Sure thing, do your magic mister mayor."

The boy smiled as he chopped into the base of the truck, when the axe was nearing the other side of the tree Rosalina transferred her body strength into the now-tipping plant. The deerman roared screeches of anger when a mass of wood and leaves deformed the shelves and crushed the creature in a single motion.

Gunner, Little Mac and Sword panted as they turned heads to the princess and mayor. "Is it down?" Asked Villager.

Sword knelt down and took a quick inspection. "Unless this thing can come back after being flatten into a pancake I'd say we win."

"Yeah, hopefully." Exhaled Gunner.

The silence they have yearned before had yet to be earned; screeching, and gunpowder still clogged up the space. The five Newcomers conjoined by the restrooms to see the final deerman being forced into a corner. Greninja, Wii Fit, Mega Man and Brawler relentlessly fired a variety of water knives, saw blades, and solar energy at the fiend.

The blue android fired a charge shot at the deerman; slamming against the wall injured beyond hell, it attempted to get onto its feet when something cold pressed against its forehead.

"So long you filthy animal." Brawler said as he pulled the trigger. The revolver left a rather large hole on the backside of its head, like a puppet being cut from its strings it dropped dead on the floor. They were finally safe… for now.

"Is anyone hurt?" Said Gunner.

"Some of us had sustain quite a bit of percentage but the snacks around might fix that." Sword took a chocolate bar from the counter and began chewing on it. "For those who are hurt, I suggest you get snacking. It can do wonders."

"Already on it." Brawler shattered the glass of a vending machine with a punch and began picking favorites.

The fitness trainer wiped the sweat from her cheek before facing Shulk. "Thanks for the save back there, but how did you know?"

The teen pointed to his eyes. "That's because I saw it with my own two eyes."

" **Your eyes flashed blue before the fight."** Scribbled Greninja. **"Was that the visions you claimed to see?"**

"Yeah, that was referring too." Shulk eyed the creature that Brawler killed. "I saw how it played out. Those things got the jump and it didn't end well."

"Well good thing you put a stop to that disaster." Said Mega Man. "Hey… did you guys find the battery?"

"Oh! Right here!" Gunner grabbed the car battery from the old counter and showcased it to everyone. "It was in the car; brand new too. Did you find any gas?"

Little Mac pointed to the several gas cans in the corner. "Found those the moment we stepped inside."

"You did? Then why didn't call out to us about it earlier?" Rosalina said.

"Because we weren't finished yet." Brawler picked up a sack from the ground and threw various alcohol bottle and foodstuff in the bag. "We decided to knock out our food problem as well, with so much food in one place you'll have to be a fool to pass up on the opportunity."

Shulk saw the various bags on the floor; the other team picking up their individual pack. "I see. Smart plan, but it would be difficult to carry this back to the house."

"We could use the car in the garage." Rosalina suggested as she petted Luma. "It'll make things easier, with a new battery and full gas tank we-"

"Nah I already thought of that. The wheels are busted and the engine's been rusted to hell. Our ride to the unknown is at the farm." Shulk walked to one of large windows of the station and looked out. "And we better hurry too, it'll be dark in a few hours."

A distant but noticeable howl was heard from the distance; far deep in the woods.

"Sh*t. Did they find us?" Said Brawler.

"No, I think they are just howling." Shulk turned back to the Newcomers. "We need to leave right now, it's not safe at night."

"Heck, even the day is not becoming safe anymore." Sword agreed. "Let's move, everyone get your things and book it. Don't waste your time loading more things in the bag. Just go."

Gunner saw several of the Newcomers picking up their gear before heading back out to the cold. The shooter went back to the counter to grab the battery but then noticed a pamphlet by the register; had road signs and a shiny car on the cover.

Looks somewhat childish, but it may prove useful when they finally get moving. She took that alongside the car battery and race her friends back on the unforgiving asphalt.


	72. Chapter 72: Here They Come

**Chapter 72: Here They Come**

The light of the moon has finally shown itself on this desolate land of rust and frost. It was getting hard to see and even more hard to retain one's body temperature. The Smashers ran as fast as their load would possibly allow. However, the trip up the hill was ecstasy compared to running on uneven road; god bless the shovels.

Shulk had experience with cold weather, but this was something else. His teeth couldn't stop chattering and his breath was becoming more visible. It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if his blood actual frozen solid at this point; it makes the fire place back in the living room ever more enticing.

Little Mac opened the door for everyone and like water breaking through a dam, they all just flooded in. Shulk was the last one to go inside, he picked up the pace by he tripped over a pile of snow right there on the porch.

"Arhhh… if only the house was only lower to ground." He tried to get up then noticed the four crosses near the entrance; two large, two small. That would mean… Adults and children… did they die here?

Shulk didn't have the luxury of deviling into that thought when the boxer pulled him up to his feet, guided him inside and slammed the door. "Thanks, for that." Said the teen.

Little Mac nodded, locking the door. The both of them joined the rest of the fighters by the old pickup truck by the garage. Greninja popped opened the hood as Villager opened the gas cap, for the first time in quite a while, they felt pretty good about themselves.

"Who's got the key?" Mega Man asked.

"Got it right here." Sword reached into his front pocket and pulled out the car keys they found in the attic, then opened up the driver-side door. "We got that we need, fellas. Let's skedaddle out of here."

Brawler cringed, he ignored the use of the word skedaddle and spoke to his frenemy. "But we'll be going out in the road blind. It'll be a waste of gas if we drive around aimlessly."

"We can go to the mall!" Gunner pulled out the map from her pant pocket and gave it to the sworduser. "The journal said they've prepared a camp there, it would be worth checking out."

"But didn't that journal also stated that the camp had been overunned?" Wii Fit retorted.

Gunner lowered her head and sighed. "I know that, but this is the only place for miles that's even remotely close to the house."

"Are you sure you ain't exaggerating again?" Brawler pressed.

"No, she's telling it as it is." Sword observed the contents of the paper. "This farm is isolated from the rest of the towns around here. The mall is the closet around, there could be a lot of supplies around: Food, gas, maybe even a bigger map. It's worth a look."

Greninja showed the clipboard to Brawler. **"We don't have a choice in the matter, the farm is no longer safe."**

As the discussion continued, Shulk decided to eye the vehicle- that's when he noticed a hidden problem.

Brawler groaned, then massaged his temples over the ensuing headache. "Fine… I want someone to pour the cans in and slap the battery right-"

"Wait! We can't go now, there's something else we need to do."

"Something else? What do you mean, Shulk?" Rosalina asked.

"It's the tires, look!" Shulk pointed to the wheels, the four of which have been sagging on the bottom. The teen pressed his thumb into a rear wheel. "It's just what I thought, they're all flat."

Villager lightly kicked the tip of his shoe into a separate tire. "Couldn't we still drive with flat tires?"

"No way, buddy. Diving flat will get you nowhere. Even a soft tire can prove a detriment to the car's mobility."

"Guys you're worrying over nothing." Mega Man pointed to a corner of the garage, an air compressor rested on the dusty floor. "That device will fill the tires out in no time."

"But it requires power for it to work, and we don't have a generator on hand." Gunner said.

Mega Man hands retreated into his arms, then popped out two spike on the end of his appendages, sparks cracked and popped on the metal object. "I can make my own electricity thanks to my Spark upgrade, all I need to do is transfer the current to the plug and it will work." The android place the tip of one of his spike onto the plug and reverted his other arm to the default hand and turned the machine on. The device roared to life before he turned it off. "See."

"Impractical but possible, and… wait." Shulk peered through the window of the driver's side, the panel below the steering wheel was very loose, and about half of it looked like it was going to fall off any moment. Is the ignition… no… Shulk took a screwdriver from the wall of tools and opened the car door. He sat in the seat and began to unscrew the plate off.

"Shulk?" Said Sword.

Shulk removed the panel and his eyes opened. "What?! How on earth… it's been chewed?!"

"Chewed?!" Wii Fit said, she and Luma rushed to the open car door. "What do you mean chewed?"

"The wires have been cut in here. I see stray fur in here… a rodent must have gotten in here and chewed on the ignition wires!"

"But that means… if we can't start the ignition… are we screwed?!" Brawler shouted. "After all this time? We risked our lives for nothing!"

"Maybe we don't need the car." Said Villager. "We can wait till tomorrow and get to mall on foot?"

"To get there by foot will be incredibly difficult! The walk alone will be a nightmare." Sword replied. "Not only would we have to deal with the cold, we'll also have to deal with those creatures in the open. Who does how many are roaming around these parts!"

"So that's it? Are we really stuck here?" Said Gunner, her body began to shake again once more.

"No!" Yelled Shulk as he searched the glove box. "I can still make this work!"

"How? The ignition is destroyed." Little Mac said.

"It's broken, yes. But not completely destroyed… Ah! Found it." Shulk pulled out a roll of heavy duty duct tape and instruction manual for the car. "The wires are cut but still functional. If I connect and tape the wires together, the electricity will still flow to the correct components."

"You're going to hot-wire a car?" Said Brawler.

Shulk twirled the screwdriver in his hand. "In a sense, but it will be easier by comparison. So to recap: we need to fill the gas tank, put in the battery, pump the tires, and repair the ignition. If we do all that this car will be viable on the road."

"That will take some time, thought." Villager said.

" **Not as much as you think. With the people we have here the repair should be over quite quickly."** Wrote Greninja.

The sound of a window shattering caught everyone's attention.

"Did that..?" Sword pondered.

"It came from the living room." Little Mac answered.

Sword narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his sword. "Weapons out, we need to check this."

* * *

The Newcomers silently sneaked in rows of three, being careful not to make the sound. The house was quiet, too quiet than it should be; even the winds were dead. All hairs were on end.

Shards of glass laid on the floor, resting below a barred up window. Last that they recalled, that window wasn't broken before.

"Did something break it?" Villager whispered.

"Shush." Wii Fit retorted.

The wind was strong, but there was no way it could have broken the gas. Sword passed the bags of goodies they brought from the gas station. It wasn't a robbery, but that's what worried him. He stepped to the glass and inspected a lone shard with a finger.

' _Claw marks?!'_ Thought Sword. He raised his head just in time to see a furry hand reach through the bars in an attempt to grasp his lip. He fell back, just missing the monster's fingers. The silence that was dominant before was now submissive to an immediate horde of snarling and howling. More hands slithered through the bars like a snake, and the door banged furiously without end.

"They're here!" Sword ran back to the group.

"How'd they find us?" Rosalina said, her Luma had shivered from pure fear.

"It doesn't matter. We need to evacuate asap! That barrier won't hold them for long!" Sword declared.

"I don't know, they don't seem that strong." Gunner said. A fist from outside busted through a plank of solid wood. "I see your point."

"But the car still needs to be fixed!" Shulk reminded. "It'll take some time before we can get it working!"

"Guys! They're get through the boards!" Mega Man pointed to ever pilling up of wood chips near the wall of the windows. Sword's perception slowed down considerable: Teammates were shouting, deermen were howling, and his heart was beating. _'I have to be the leader right now, do I?'_ Thought the Mii. _'I'm always up for the occasion.'_

Sword snapped back to the Newcomer's that stared into his eyes and barked orders. "Villager! Fit! Gather up as much of our supplies around the house as you can find and put it in the back up the pickup truck!"

Villager did a salute! "Aye aye sir!"

"I'm on the job!" Announced Wii Fit. Both of them kneeled down to the carpet and carried several bags in their hands before disappearing into the hall!

"Shulk! Mega Man! Rosa and Luma! Fix the car! Everyone else and I will cover you as we defend!" Sword announced as he directed his blade to the horde outside.

Shulk pulled out his screwdriver. "Don't need to ask us twice! Are you sure you can handle-"

Brawler pulled out his revolver and aim his sights to the snowy plains through the spaces between the bars and fired several rounds. "Can it, pretty boy! He gave you three and order! So move!"

Shulk frowned but none the less ran to the garage, with the android, the princess and the star following close behind. Sword, Greninja, Brawler, Little Mac and Gunner stood firm at the window and door- weapons at the ready.

"You guys up for this?" Questioned Sword.

"Gree!" Shouted Greninja.

"Well I didn't bring my little friend out for nothing." Brawler said as he loaded up the barrel of his gun.

"Get ready! They're coming through!" Warned Gunner. The planks were coming off fast before their eyes. Several deermen crawled through the small windows, groaning as they slumped their hungry bellies over the sill and crashing on the floor; howling mad when eye contact was made.

Little Mac threw a flurry of punches to the chest and head of the creature, causing it to stumble back into a wall and break the glass of a picture frame. Greninja's teleported through the use of his shadow right in front of his enemy. Forming two water kunai, he plunged it into flesh: one in the heart and the other into the mouth. It gargled before going limp.

Sword never left his blade off from the creature. It went to grabbed him with elongated arms but the Mii dove the side of it, slashing it across the abdomen on the right. The monsters stumbled, with the chance opened Gunner and Brawler produced a combination of small energy projectiles and bullets to various parts of the body; it didn't stood a chance. It stupidly let its tongue pop out as it fell forward on the floor.

"GRE!" Greninja pointed to the outside, Little Mac peered through the direction of the Pokémon's finger. He almost choked on his spit.

"Guys! There's a horde out there! We're going to need a lot more firepower!" The window next to him had a deerman climbing up to the sill, growling with hunger before a bullet slipped through its brain.

Brawler's gun was smoking. "This is firepower." He and Gunner positioned themselves to the windows. The fist-fighter aimed his sights and shot his rounds as Gunner charged her energy balls, then propelling them into groups of four to five deermen each time.

Sword felt a powerful tug coming from his foot, he snapped his head to his horror. A deerman was inside! It was on his knees; legs on the burnt logs of the fireplace to its antlers scratching the floor by his shoes. It parted its jaws a mere second, relishing the taste when the teeth pressed against his leg.

"AAHHH!" Sword yelled in pain.

"SWORD!" Gunner yelled but he couldn't see her face. His pupils refused to leave this creature.

A white foot came and smashed against the creature's temple. It was Wii Fit's foot, she must have saw the struggle and came to lend a helping hand… or in this case a foot. Sword thrust the blade into the skull, killing the monster. He looked at the trainer; two bags of supplies were in her hands.

"Sorry about that, you looked like you were in trouble there." She announced to the room.

Sword gracefully nodded. "Thanks."

"What the f*ck?!" Brawler's jaws pressed up against each other. "How did that thing get in here?"

It was then that the Mii swordsman noticed soot and dust falling from space from the chimney. He remembered a lighter he scavenged. He flicked it on and peeked under the brick. The lone flame didn't reach far, but it showed enough, several deermen were crawling down the brick chimney feet first.

"They're coming from above!" Sword warned.

"You mean like Santa Claus?!" Gunner became bewildered. "These things are relentless!"

"We can't let them get inside! Any ideas?" Brawler shouted.

"Greeee!" Greninja yelled as he poked through the brains of any monster daring to crawl through his window.

Sword looked back up to the shaft. The windows were one thing, but the chimney would increase the pressure. God help them if the door busted opened, which was a more likely possibility with the amount of bangs coming from the porch. He needs to find a way to close this route off… That's it! Use the function! "I need firewood inside here stat!" The Mii ordered.

Little Mac ran to the area where they held the dry logs and carried as much as he could with his muscular arms. Sword gave him space to dump the wood inside the fireplace. Sword grabbed an oil lantern from the top of the fireplace and turned it on. The moment the light flickered inside the fighter tossed it inside; glass broke and he closed the grate, entrapping the fresh logs behind the metal.

The oil caused the small flame to grow immense. Sword stepped back as the crackles caused the approaching deermen to yelp and climb back up the way they came. "That should hold them off." He said to his teammates.

Greninja nodded as he went back to guarding the windows. Wii Fit faced the Mii as the revolver's shots intruded on their conversation once in a while. "Good job in holding the fort down, Do you need any help?" The trainer asked.

"We're good for now. Just keep those bags rolling to the car!" Sword said, leaving her presence, sword in hand.

"Will do!" Wii Fit shouted as she hoisted the bags over her shoulder and dashed into the hallway.

* * *

When Wii Fit entered the room, her ear drums were assaulted by the loud noises of machinery.

*WWWWRREEEMMMM!* Mega Man pressed firmly against the lever of the air valve. When he was satisfied with the little red pointer on the gauge, he pooped off the hose and screwed on the cap. "The second tire is done. How the gas?"

"Almost half-filled!" Rosalina and Luma were lifting up one of the large gas cans over their heads. The brown translucent liquid poured into a funnel going down to the very bottom of the empty gas tank. She threw the empty container on the ground and noticed her when she went to pick up another.

"Is there still-"

"Plenty of room." Rosalina finished Wii Fit's sentence. "Just toss it." The fitness trainer obeyed and heave the bag and its contents over the wall of the truck bed.

"Come on! I just need to make it connect!" She heard Shulk's voice coming from behind, with a turn Wii Fit saw the Hom strapping down the battery. "Just one little… There!" He celebrated his minor success and slammed the hood down. "Ah didn't notice you there. Is all the stuff packed?"

"No but hauling out backs no tomorrow." She explained. "How much more time do we need?"

"The battery's hooked in, now we have to take care of everything else." Shulk went around the fitness trainer and opened the car door. He scooted inside and closed the door behind him, then he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out the tape. "I'll be doing the tricky part."

Villager came scurrying into room, he accidentally dropped his bag and picked it up before hitting the ground.

"Code red! Code red! We need to pick up the pace!"

"Oh no! Are they having trouble back there?!" Pressed Shulk.

The boy shook his head. "No it's the deer! They're beginning to get-"

Another window smashed, this time coming from the other direction of the house.

"…creative."

* * *

A window smashed, but this time from behind. Little Mac was distracted right after lobbing a deermen in the temple right outside the window. "You hear that?"

"Gree!" Greninja wanted to write out his thoughts on paper but the deermen were quite needy.

"It came from the hall!" Gunner left her post momentarily sharpen her eagle eye in the desired direction. A window at the far end of the hall had been broken, several furry hands were clawing to get their way inside.

Brawler cracked his head to what the shooter was seeing, he wasn't happy about it. **Not one bit.** "They're coming from the back window! We need men there now!"

"This is escalating quickly. Come on!" Little Mac said to the female Mii. She and the boxer ran on the wooden floor. Villager opened the door, barely avoiding the two Newcomers.

One of the monsters were using another one of its brethren as leverage to climb the sill. Sadly for it, it didn't get the chance as an energy ball broke its neck backwards and propelled the body back to the snow. A fellow deerman tried its luck but then got socked backwards with a punch to the jaw.

"They just keep coming and coming!" Gunner complained.

"I know." Little Mac remarked. He turned his head backwards just a little to the main door; still held up but a couple of cracks were forming on the wood. "That door doesn't look like it'll hold up for long!"

"We're going to need some serious firepower if those things coming pouring in here! I don't think my cannon is going to cut it!" Gunner really hated the fact that her default weapon requires a charge for it to fire sufficient blasts; doubt the monsters would be kind enough to wait for her to reload every other shot.

"What about the shotgun? If Brawler's revolver is effective then that should too!" Little Mac reminded.

"B-But where's the shotgun?!" Gunner pressed as she hastily fired another orb out the window.

"I know where it is!" A voice boomed behind them, they turned to see Villager. "The shells are in the garage but the weapon itself is still in the attic!"

"The attic? I thought we've taken it down to the lower floor?" Little Mac retorted as he delivered a fine uppercut to a carnivorous foe attempting to jump in.

"Brawler took it upstairs to clean it! But he left it there when he went to go on watch!"

The boxer held her breath. Of course, that's when Shulk came in and they were forced to go the station. Brawler didn't want to take it citing 'it'll wake up the entire damn neighborhood if I use it so why bring it with us at all?' I wonder if he's regretting that decision right now. Mac shook his head. "Can you get it?"

The kid did a salute. "Yes I can Mr Mac. I won't disappoint!"

"Hurry, I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!" The mayor nodded and single-mindedly sprinted across the hall. He went passed Wii Fit who happened to carry another bag. "Get the shells!"

"What?" She asked.

"The shotgun shells!" Villager banged his feet against each step of the staircases. The slingshot he'd been keeping in his pocket for so long will finally get some action. "Just get it! I'll be back!"

* * *

It wasn't hard finding the ladder, it was one of the most prominent features of the top floor. "I won't be scared. I won't be scared." He spoke out of the mantra he'd been forming for several days now.

The kid had heard of the horror that came up here; something about a family passing away in here. He tried to ask more about but his friends refused to elaborate. The attic always scared him, but this time away from home had made him stronger in a sense. All he had to do was laugh the horror right in its face.

His feet finally touched the dusty floor. The shotgun was by the entrance of the trapdoor; rested on a table, a burnt out candle and dirty rag was set beside it.

"At least it's clean." Villager carried the shotgun in both arms. "And lighter than the bowling ball." Now to get back downstairs-

*CRASH!*

Villager almost let the weapon slipped from his fingers. Cautiously turning around, he saw that a lone deerman had entered the lone window in the attic. It was distracted by the glass cutting into its coat but then caught sight of an appetizer. Villager could have sworn its belly twitched.

"YAHH!"

"RARRAHH!"

Villager yelped and the monster shrieked. Villager dropped the shotgun down the hole and was quickly climbing down to grab it again. The creature leap and directed its momentum to the opening. It would have been funny to see the creature being stuck due to its antlers not fitting through the square trapdoor, but his mind was focused on delivering the shotgun to Brawler.

But when he reached the bottom and held the shotgun he heard bones break, but it wasn't his bones. He looked up and almost had a heart attack, Villager barely had enough time to dodge as the monster crashed into floor face first. Its antler now gone, been broken off.

It growled at him and prepared another pounced. Villager dragged the shotgun and sprinted down the stairs as fast as he possibly could. He wasn't luckily this time. That abomination pounced onto his back; everything was hazy as he tumbled down. His vision went black, then brown, then he heard screaming… or was it shouting. A tangible pressure was present on both side of his chest.

His vision was becoming clearer now. The deerman had him and held his body up like a prize. It slowly went for a bite but then an explosion ringed and his left ear and before he knew it the monster's head was missing. It dropped him but then something else picked him up. He looked to see Greninja grabbing him by the shirt and carefully setting him down.

"I gotta say kid." A manly voice came from the left. Villager turned to see Brawler wielding the shotgun; the barrel still smoking. "Never thought you out of all people would have balls of steel."

"Mr. Brawler! I-"

"Fit Bit already told me." The fist-fighter stretched his arm out to the couch and scooped the last of his shotgun shells into his already bulging pocket, and resumed his reloading of the brand new firearm in his possession. "Very convenient of you too, my revolver ran out a minute ago!" He pulled the pump.

The door finally gave way, splinters littered the floor all around. The banging on the last few remaining planks had stopped and the Newcomers finally found themselves a friendly bunch of guests.

"They're getting in!" Wii Fit exclaimed, carrying as much bags possible at once."

"New plan!" Brawler fired a shell at the chest of a deerman. "Don't let these bastards in the garage!"

Sword pulled up Villager and pulled him away from the stairs. "Go check and help out with the car. You too Fit!" Both of them fled the scene and ran into the garage. "Gunner! Mac! Protect your side!"

"On it!" The boxer's voice boomed.

"What are you guys waiting for?! Let them have it!"

The rest of the Newcomer's worked even harder to slow the advancement of the monsters. The shotgun felt uncomfortable in Brawler's arms but it was to be expected, he's a fist-fighter not and a gun swinger. But that doesn't mean he's to turn tail and give it to someone else. To hell with comfort!

One shot. A leg blown off. Second shot A hand separated into pieces. Third shot. He felt a speck of brain and fur on his ear. Greninja formed multiple shurikens and launched them at the necks of multiple opponents. Fourth shot. Multiple holes appeared on a chest. Fifth shot. A trachea destroyed. Sixth shot. Eyes forever blinded. Sword countered a bite of a deerman and counterattacked the monster into a pile of other monsters. Seventh shot. A jaw turned into shards. Eighth shot. A heart explodes. Ninth shot. Hope that one wasn't planning to go dating soon. Gunner and Little Mac were forced back; the deermen were getting angrier and smarter. They finally breached their other barrier. Tenth shot. Double kill. Eleventh shot. The bodies hit the floor. Twelfth shot… reload.

* * *

If Mega Man had the capacity to sweat, he would've. The screams and bangs were getting closer to the door. Rosalina and her little friend held the tire in place, allowing the android the time to fill the last tire with air. "The last one is filled!"

The blue bomber, the space princess and the precious star hopped into the back of the truck, moving the supplies to the rear to breed more space. "Shulk! How are the wires?" Asked Rosalina.

Wii Fit and Villager were seated next to the precognitive Smasher. He tape with his teeth and carefully wrapped it around the metal strands. "Hold on… there!" He turned the key and the engine roared to life. He honked the horn. "It's ready! Get in. Get in!" He warned.

Like a master summing a dog with a whistle, all the Newcomers poured in the garage; most out of breath. Sword locked the door, then gave the follow-up to Little Mac and Gunner who pushed and tipped over a heavy duty tool drawer in front of the entrance. The wood was practically banged on by thousands of claws and antlers, thank god it wasn't balsa.

Gunner, Sword, Greninja, Little Mac and Brawler hopped in the back. By now, the door was pushed off its hinges. Only the drawer is preventing the horde slipping into their last stronghold.

"Hold on everybody! It's going to be a bumpy ride!" Shulk slammed on the pedal. The car wheels spun wildly and the entirety of the vehicle busted through the garage door. The path they shovel out made it very easy to control the pickup truck, especially it going down the hill. The moment Shulk drove on a stable angle, he sped right through the cornfield and drove straight on the road.

A couple of the monsters gave chase, but they never did catch up. The rest were simply staring out. Awfully silent as they finally came to terms that they missed their meal.


	73. Chapter 73: A Trip to the Mall

**Chapter 73: A Trip to the Mall**

The pick-up truck had been driving on the road without stop until the group was certain that the monsters lost their trail. The vehicle stopped on the side of the road, the snow had faltered but it's was still raining down flakes. Shulk parked the car and opened the back window. "Hey… Gunner right? You still have the map?"

The girl shuffled through her pocket and handed it over to the window. "Good. But someone else has to take the wheel. That fixer-up had drained me."

"I'll do it." Wii Fit volunteered. "I used to own a car."

"Great." Shulk handed her the map and opened the car door. "I'm going to lay now."

"You're not sitting up in the front?" Villager asked.

"Nah, you can give my spot to someone else." The Hom's breath fogged up against the window of the door. "If anyone wants to sit up front you're more than welcome too."

"Ooh! Hey Mega Man! Why don't you come join us? It'll be like old times!" Beamed the mayor. Even after traumatic and stressful situations like this, he'd always managed to keep his head up; a quality that Shulk always respected.

"Alright." Mega Man replied. He jumped out of the back and entered through the passenger door that Villager generously opened. Shulk got minimal assistance from Greninja getting over the tailgate and joined with the Newcomers and the rest of the goodies they managed to grab. When everyone was in their assigned seats, the car moved and sped down the asphalt.

Shulk rested his back on one of the large bags of loot. He yawned but quickly coughed as several pieces of snow entered his windpipe.

"You ok?" Mac asked.

The Hom coughed again, swallowing his own spit. "Yeah, just accidently inhale some snowflakes is all." He sighed. "That was close."

"No kidding." Gunner agreed. "I still have goosebumps from that… horror show. How did they find us?"

"Those deer-creatures must have followed us after we left the gas station." Rosalina hypothesized. "Could be a result of them tracking out scent and attacking when they thought we were cornered. But that's only a theory."

Brawler absently played with the rotating mechanism of his revolver. "There was so many of them that I used all my remaining ammo for this thing. Can't believe I'm saying this, but thank god for Villager for bringing my shotgun."

Greninja tapped on his clipboard with his ball-point pen. **"Don't you mean the previous owner's shotgun?"**

"You know what I mean." Brawler glared.

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask about that." Shulk said. "When we came back to the house I notice there were several makeshift graves by the door. Those were the previous owners?" He asked the question and they all cringed. Had he struck a nerve? "Oh… did those things… catch them?"

"No." Brawler stopped spinning his revolver and out it back in his pocket. He retained eye contact with the Hom; never daring to break it. "We found them in the attic. From what we investigated it was a combination of murder, suicide and euthanasia."

Shulk's eyes widened. "What? My go- what happened?"

"According to a journal we found, something bad was happening to the kids. There wasn't much details but it did mention them growing horns." Sword said.

"Horns? You mean like those monsters that attacked us? Wouldn't that mean that whatever has been going on is infectious?" Shulk rolled up his sleeve and inspected his arm. Like the last time he saw it, there was no damage."

"Don't worry." Little Mac reassured. "If this is a disease or transformation epidemic, I don't think it will infect Smashers like us. Trust me." Smasher? What did he mean by that? He was going to ask but Sword kept talking.

"Anyway, the father wrote that he was convinced that all of them were going to die, but he was dedicated to "ending his children's suffering" as he put it. The wife rejected this notion and… you can pick up the pieces from there."

Shulk slumped. "Oh… I get it."

The car ride somehow became even colder. Every day that they survive reality showed and pushed their faces into a mess that they had no part of. If there was a lick of humor in among the rust and scattered expired marshmallows in the bed, it was certainly gone now.

"This is getting depressing. We should change the subject." Gunner pointed out the obvious.

" **I second that."** Wrote Greninja.

"What was the plan again?" Brawler spoke. The car hit a small bump, making the Mii bonk his head against the frame of the car. "Ow! Dammit! I thought she said she was good driver."

Little Mac chuckled. "Oh chill out, Brawl. It's just a bump. It's not going to kill you."

The Mii in red rolled his eyes. Shulk took the question as his own and repeated it. "So the plan?"

"I believe we are going to the Pinecreek mall and settle there until further notice." Rosalina said. "The journal stated that a camp was put in place there when the outbreak began. If that's indeed the case then it should have supplies we can use."

"Hopefully more bullets too." Commented Brawler.

"What about after that?" Shulk said. "You mention you were trying to get back home to the WOT. How are you going to get there exactly?"

Sword took a breath and tapped his foot on the ground. It was a question no one wanted to ask but it unavoidable. "We don't know. We said we've been teleported to the middle of nowhere. We meant it. We could be reckon anywhere I reckon, the WOT is always "updating". Adding new lands and areas every now and again. Not to mention there is always uncharted sections as well."

"Rats in a maze." Said Brawler.

"Not necessarily. We just need to get a better vantage point, it'd hard to see in this snow and fog. When we do, we can evaluate our options better. If we can get to the mansion on land, we walk. If it's across the ocean we get a boat and steer it. And if it's really far, we'll just make our own damn airplane and fly it across the sky if we have to."

Shulk scooted forward as Sword continued. "You see, the WOT, as well as our friends are undergoing a potential crisis as we speak. I refuse to sit idly as our homeland is in danger, I bet everyone else has the same sentiment too. I doubt our friends back home are worried of our absence, and they're doing everything in their power as well to get us back home too. Because what else are we going to do? Sit on our thumbs whiles we freeze like a Popsicle? Not a chance."

A single motion of clapping was heard, they turned to the back window to see Villager clapping with a smile on his face. Soon, the Newcomers began clapping as well, even Brawler gave his some support for his teammate.

"That sounds like quite the journey. I hope you'll be able in remedying the crisis." Shulk rubbed his chin as his head shuffled against the fabric of the bags. "I might be able to help you actually. If I manage to get contact back with my colony I could get support to help your cause."

The clapping stopped to Shulk's confusion. Greninja wrote on his pad and showed it to the Mii swordsman. **"Do you want me to tell him?"**

Sword said. "No… I got this Greninja."

"Got what?" Sword questioned.

"Shulk… I'm so sorry you have to hear this but… you can't go to Colony 9. It's physically impossible."

The Hom sat up straight and stared at him with unsure eyes. "What do you mean I can't return? I don't know where Bionis is, but we can find a boat and-"

"You think the WOT and the titans were on the same plane of reality?" Inquired Sword. It gave much clarify to the rationale of Shulk, but he'd had to give true clarity. "Shulk… we are in a separate dimension that the one the Bionis is on. In fact, there already is another "Shulk" in Colony 9. You are a Smasher, just like us."

The Hom was getting uncomfortable now. "Another Shulk? What on earth are you talking about? I just met you people I don't know what a Smasher is!"

"You wonder why you suffered no injuries after that monster bit into your hand?"

"Sword." Rosalina interrupted. "Maybe we should wait to tell him when we have a better time."

"This is a better time, Rosalina. We have to tell him eventually, might as well be now." Sword opened a bag and shuffled his hand inside. He pulled out a screwdriver; he'll gain percentage but it'll be so minimal it won't even matter. "Watch."

Shulk understood what his demonstration was his hand dove down towards his right knee. "Woah!"

And was utterly surprised when the instrument failed to pierce his flesh. He was shocked when Sword stretched out his arms from his torso and created a bubble of red energy around him. "What I can do, you can do as well. This is what a Smasher is capable."

"I… I…" Shulk slumped back on the bag. Is that why that creature's teeth tore off his skin? "How… I don't understand."

"Well we'll help you understand." Sword dissipated his force-field and rested his hands on his lap. "You might want to sit and listen, Shulk. This is about to be a _long_ ride."

* * *

Immortality. Power-hungry gods. Cloning. The Omniverse. These were all the concepts that Shulk have been taught for the entire car ride. He didn't want to believe it, but he's no fool. He never really left Colony 9; is he even a real person. "You're saying we were the creation of a pair of greedy hands and now we're the only one that stands to safeguard the Omniverse?! Unbelievable."

"Well it must be if we told you multiple times." Said Brawler.

"No! I mean… I always knew the universe was infinite but not like this." Shulk head was throbbing, his brain is having trouble comprehending the situation he's in. How can anyone normal. Why was he chosen out of the infinite souls of the Omniverse? "How are you so calm about this? Knowing who you truly are?"

Rosalina raised her hand to get the Hom's attention. "To tell you the truth… we all had similar reactions when we were told too."

"And some had worse reactions than others." Gunner rubbed both arms in her chest in embarrassment.

"But we all coped in our own separate ways. It's hard at first, but it gets easy when you realize that the past doesn't define you. I'm still adjusting to life here, but I made my piece. There are others who were here longer than any of us, I couldn't imagine what they had to go through. Even though we cannot go to the home you see in your memories, know that they'll never leave you. The "magic" will always be in you." Rosalina said.

Tapping came from the back window, Wii Fit opened it and said. "We're here." The car parked in front of the mall. The mall was very large- at least the length of two football fields combined. The structure was in better condition than farm, with the exception of the front entrance; the revolving doors were closed shut but the glass was shattered into pieces on the ground.

Wii Fit shut off the engine and inserted the key in her pocket. "The car won't fit through there. We're going on foot."

Gunner reared her head over the side of the pick-up truck. Peering inside through the doors. "Are you sure that's safe? It's too dark inside."

"It's dark out here too, but at least the walls will protect us from being spotted miles away. It'll be our new shelter. That's why we came here after all. Besides, we'll ran through most of the gas. We aren't going anywhere."

"This place has seen better days, what do we do if we encounter more deermen?" Villager asked.

"Simple." Brawler pumped his shotgun. "We'll send them back to hell."

"And the darkness won't be a problem either." Little Mac opened the bags and pulled out several flashlights, glow sticks and lighters. "Take your pick."

The Newcomers reached onto the boxer's gloves and took their individual light source. "Hold on, we need to carry these bags inside without straining ourselves." Sword said. He looked to the side to see a lone shopping cart knocked over by a handicapped sign. "There."

He hopped out of the vehicle and ran to go fetch the object, when he came back the Newcomers pilled their goodies inside the basket. Wii Fit locked the car door. "If everyone's ready, let's go. We'll find a good spot to sleep on the way."

" **You have a place in mind?"** Wrote Greninja.

"Yeah, the security office." The fitness trainer suggested. "Those places are usually secured and stockpiled with weapons. Maybe if we're lucky we can get a hand of some tapes and find out some information.

"If no one has any objections, then we should check there first." Gunner said. "I'm stand displaying a map of the place so we can find out way alone."

"Yeah… let's go." Shulk said as he passed by Greninja. It was right there that he noticed that his cheeks were slightly wet.

* * *

They packed closed together, lights combining to generate and aura of brightness to illuminate the darkness. The inside was way worse off: Shattered display windows, knocked over benches, piles of trash… the only saving grace was so far were the skylights welcoming the faint moonlight from outside. The only living souls here were the couple of cockroaches skittering around. Gunner shivered at the sight of them.

"Those are the first living creatures I've seen since our arrival." The shooter stated.

"Are you actually surprised? Those disgusting brown specks can survive a nuclear holocaust. I'm shocked we haven't encountered them sooner." Brawler said. "What was god thinking when he made these?"

"Brawler don't be mean. Bugs are very helpful for the environment." Villager pointed out.

"If feasting on a corpse or dung on the side of the road counts as helpful, than Mother Nature deserves a therapist."

"Wait… Brawler are you scared of bugs?" Little Mac asked as he pushed the cart. "Are you scared of that more than those monsters?"

"No!" Brawler immediately retorted. "I just can't stand the sight of them; they're everywhere and linger around like a bad smell. I'm not scared of them."

"I don't know, I could have sworn if heard your voice quiver for a second." Replied Wii Fit.

"Oh don't act like your fearless. You flipped out when you discovered those "little snacks" were 400 calories a piece."

"Hey, losing weight is a serious challenge for adults. I'd be doing my body a disservice if I start shoveling refined grains and unhealthy food in my mouth. I would destroy everything I had gained!"

Brawler's eyelid twitched. "For the last time… You. Can't. Get. Fat."

Rosalina found her break to stop the bickering. "Hey, look over there." She pointed to a pamphlet lying on the seat of a wooden bench. Luma picked it up and handed it to the blonde princess. "Directions."

"Great, let's keep it with us. Where is the security room?" Sword questioned, the eagerness to sleep was becoming overwhelming. He could see that the eyes of every trophy was sagging. It's been a long day.

Rosalina's eyes scanned left and right before he pupils stopping somewhere in the middle column. "It's not far, we get there by turning right-"

"We can do that easily." Mac exhaled, the strain of the cart was getting to him.

"-and climbing up five flights of escalators." She finished.

The boxer sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid of that."

"We can use the elevators." Villager said.

" **The mall is out of power."** Greninja wrote.

"True, but with Mega Man's electric powers we can restart the power for the whole place, right?"

"On the contrary I can only power up small gadgets, I can't actually supply a hole building. That's out of my league." Explained the android.

"Oh."

"Look… can we please worry about transporting the load upstairs after we survey our options? I don't feel comfortable standing in the dark like this." Gunner held the glow stick in her hand tightly. She felt like a chick in a horror movie to be honest, she's praying that journey won't end up like one.

"I guess… C'mon." Sword lead the group down past several shops before turning right. On the way they encountered tents, army vests and heavy duty containers around the area. "It looks like this world's military had stayed here." Shulk said.

"Yeah sure looks like it." Wii Fit commented.

"And they looked better equipped than us. How did this place come to ruins then?"

"Well…" Sword licked his lips to prevent his mouth from drying out. "Remember that journal I mentioned earlier? Well it states that this family did seek shelter in the mall earlier during the outbreak but… uh." Sword scratched his head, he only took a good look at the journal once. "My memory was a bit foggy on that part. I think they were forced to… leave or evacuate because of something… I think it was an attack."

"If there was an attack then where are the bodies?" Brawler's shotgun never left his armpit. "I don't see any signs of a struggle."

"It could be a sign that they evacuated with no problems?" Gunner said.

"Or maybe those creatures… ate the evidence." Shulk slowly stated.

Gunner gulped. "Yeah… that's a possibility too."

"Well I don't see any of those deermen." Brawler peered into several of the halls to the left and right. "That's a good sign. We are alone for the moment."

"Let's hope the moment lasts a long time." Mega Man said.

All ten of them stopped in front of the escalators; no power. Villager looked up. "The good news is that the escalators of each floor are packed closely together is that they act like a flight of stairs. The bad news…"

"It's self-explanatory. I get it." Little Mac let go of the cart. "It will be a nightmare dragging this cart up. Can we all grab two bags individual and climb the escalator?"

" **No, that stuff is hard to carry as it is. It'll be torture carrying stuff when you're walking on an uneven ground."** Answered the Pokémon. **"And there's the bonus of it leaving us vulnerable to attack."**

"We're not in a rush. Can't we just leave it here and come get it in the morning?" Mega Man spoke.

"But if do that, we'd be risking of our supplies being taken or destroyed." Rosalina said.

"I don't see any other solution."

"There is one thing we can try." Villager took center stage. He stood by the cart and threw his arms up. "I can store the entire grocery cart in my pocket."

Shulk brain froze for a moment. "…What?" The Hom thought he was joking, but then he noticed that the rest were treating this as a serious option.

"Your pocket can only hold stuff if it's not big. That cart is two times bigger than you, buddy." Little Mac clarified.

"Not if it's a projectile." Villager reminded. "Remember when I pocketed Samus' and Mega Man's energy attacks? If we do it that way it should be acceptable."

"But that will require us throwing the cart at you." Said Rosalina.

The boy smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Rosalina. I once cut and caught my own tree in my pocket, I won't even break a sweat."

Sword inserted his blade put in its sheath. "It would save us a lot of trouble. And he has been getting stronger with his specials."

Brawler cocked his head, surveying the goodies in their cart. "We need to haul ass to lift that monster up."

"Then haul as we shall." Sword crouched by the left side of the cart "In positions everyone."

Shulk blinked several times as the rest of the Newcomers circled the cart. "Shulk, what are you standing there for? Haul your ass." Brawler pressed. The teen was still unsure, but decided to go along with the plan. He gripped by the front. With the combined efforts of the nine Smashers, they were able to lift the hunk of metal over their heads.

"Oh! This is heavy. Villager, hurry." Wii Fit pleaded. Villager stood proudly and extended his hand towards his team.

"I'm ready."

At his word. The Newcomers dropped the cart on him. For a second, Shulk was horrified to see convey crush him, but then was horrified again when the cart shrunk and morphed within the span of a second- right into Villager's pants pocket.

"See? I told you I can do it!" He beamed.

Shulk stared at the kid, then to the nearest Smasher, which happened to be Greninja. He took out his writing tool and showed his answer. **"Living in this environment, you're going to be experiencing a lot of weird stuff. So do you want to take the lead or stay in the back?"**

* * *

 **Hey guys, I had to split this chapter because it was so long. I'm currently on a trip out of state but I'll still try to deliver quality chapters. Hope you enjoy.**


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